Basils??

I know basils cross pollinate, and u have to give them a TON of room to avoid this. My problem? 15 types of basil, very little room, and I want to try to get as many pure seeds as possible. Can I hand pollinate them?

Hi Portiaraylee. I have no answer on the hand pollinating, but I did want to toss out something about the cross pollinating. I listen to a syndicated gardening show every Saturday morning and a few weeks ago one of the guests was an herb queen. Sorry I forget exactly what her title was, but she's some kind of herb expert.

Like you, I've been concerned about my basils crossing so I called in and asked how far they needed to be separated to keep the strain pure. She replied that she's never had an issue with cross-pollination. Now I'm not about to give her full authority on the subject as I have always heard just the opposite, but I found her answer interesting and it gives me a bit of hope for my 9 different basils.

Thanks for the tip, it gives me a little hope also....if worse comes to worse, I will just have to buy/trade seeds next year. Thanks for letting me know what you have heard. If you come across anything else, let me know!