Grow bountiful basil

TO EXPERIENCE one of nature’s most delicious perfumes, bury your nose in a handful of freshly picked basil leaves.

The fragrance and flavour of basil have made it one of our most popular culinary, household herbs. It also has many health benefits, especially as a cleansing tonic for the system.

There are now so many different types of basil and what fun it is to experiment with the new varieties and new tastes in addition to the culinary stalwart sweet basil – Ocimum basilicum. cold-sensitive, while the perennial pink basil and sacred basil will survive winter if planted in a sheltered, sunny part of the garden.

Basil is a good companion plant for tomatoes, reputedly increasing the flavour of the fruit and promoting healthy growth. It also helps repel aphids, white fly, fruit fly and beetles. weather can make it susceptible to botrytis, which manifests as black patches on the leaves and stems. Deal with insects by cutting back the plant or spraying it with an insecticide. Improve drainage by adding milled bark or coarse compost to the soil. Ideally, one should pick the leaves as they are required because they don’t store well in the refrigerator. Leafy stems can be put in a jug or bottle of water and kept for a few days.

To extend the harvest of leaves, do not let the plants flower as this can cause the leaves to become bitter. Remove the flowering tops as they appear.

Once your second and subsequent plantings are producing enough leaves for picking, allow the first batch of basil to flower so you (and the bees) can enjoy the flowers as well.