I'm soooo confused. I see in different places that Sweet Basil is an annual and in others that it's a perennial.
I cut it back when it flowered and it's putting out leaves from a pretty woody set of stems. I live right on the border of 8a and 8b.
Is Sweet Basil and annual or perennial?
In your zone, it might well be perennial as long as it doesn't get hit by a freeze... I've brought a plant into the house to keep over winter, but by spring it was looking poorly and the flavor was not too great, so I didn't plant it out again. I'd say don't throw it out until it either dies or starts tasting bad! :-)
Maybe somebody in a wamer zone will have a real answer for you, LOL
When you see both annual and perennial listed for a plant it usually means that the plant is not frost hardy and thus grows as an annual in climates that get frost but as a perennial in climates that are warm. We reseed anyway just to "freshen up" the flavour.
Great! Does it grow from seed easily? Just sow after end of frost?
Maybe I could grow it in pots and then bring them in for the couple of months we're in danger.
Grows easily from seed - I have a mostly brown thumb, so if I can get it to grow from seed, anyone can! Also, they take an amazing amount of abuse. They are definitely annuals in zone 6b. If you let a plant flower and go to seed, it won't taste very good, but may very well reseed your whole garden bed for you - thinnings are very good nibbling. Here's a photo of my sacrificial "lettuce leaf" basil. It is still blooming a little, but mostly the flowers are gone. The stalks will dry and turn brown and then there will be seeds inside the little bumps. Supposed to have leaves as big as your hand, but mine were only about 4 inches long. Probably water stress. Hard to keep things moist around here. Even things that like it dry appreciate a drink out in the desert.
kmom, you are gardening in something of a "subalpine" elevation above 4000 ft. The altitude causes smaller plants
Ah, didn't think about the altitude issue. We are at 4200 ft. Many of these got their start this year prior to drip irrigation and timers and even hoses, when I was watering with a 5 gal bucket and a cup. Needless to say, they were much happier post drip install... the tomato plant is huge, but I think the 40 degree swing between 55 at night and 95+ during the day is causing it to not set fruit. But the basils aren't even fazed. Heat, wind, sand, lack of nutrients - just wants water in this very, very fast draining somewhat amended sand.
BTW, Wooconly, there are about a zillion different types of basils. You could have a lovely, wonderfully smelling patchwork of basils in pots for probably a goodly chunk of the rest of the year. In zone 6, we'll be packing it up shortly :-)
Have fun!
Can't remember if I mentioned this in another thread, so I'll mention it again - the herbs and plants that do well in Southern Italy, especially Apuglia, may do well in Silver Springs. The hills/mountain sides above Bari tend to be hot and dry. The crops have to survive the scirrocco winds, which are very strong, dusty and drying until the rain comes. In NV, your drip system is the rain.
http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/sat_training/dust/scirrocco/index.html
Here's the site for Italian seeds:
http://www.growitalian.com/
I wish it were a perennial :-( .
Nothing compares to basil grown in the garden. Most years I can't even find a decent plant to plant as an annual. Will it overwinter if I take cuttings and repot inside?
bb, basil usually starts readily from seed. Have you tried to save the seed from your existing plant, or bought seed for starting?
I'm thinking (I don't have the book with me) that Madalene Hill lists it as an annual. woo, you really should check that book out -- Southern Herb Growing I think is the title. Wonderful information.
Now you've got me thinking (oh-oh!) and wondering if the different basils taste significantly different. If so, which ones would be good starters?
I haven't bought seed. I cut my basil back right after it started to flower. Good news is it's growning again! I'll let it flower and see if I can collect some.
What's the best way - esp if I don't want lots of babies next spring where it is right now?
The different varieties of basil do indeed have different tastes. We grow Genovese basil for pesto (DH is half Italian). If room allows, I might plant a Thai basil to use in some Thai dishes. The Thai basil doesn't have the right flavour for Italian pesto. You might like it, but don't serve to the Italian in-laws. LOL!
garden_mermaid - thanks for the italian links - I have been to southern italy (alas, only the bustling metropolis of Naples), and it DID look a lot like flying into the Reno airport during summer - brown, dry, scrubby looking.
Summer herb & veggie seeds should be going on sale soon - you might be able to get a bunch of packets of different types of basils for cheap.
Lettuce Leaf basil has large leaves (supposed to be as large as your hand, but mine weren't - still quite a bit larger than regular basils) - use them to wrap meatballs before baking. To me, they were much milder than others. Mine were also just a bare trace bitter when eaten right off the plant - but that may be in part due to erradic watering.
Do try some from seed - if *I* can grow them from seed and half neglect them in the desert, you are bound to have some success. And, you only get about a billion seeds in a packet!
kmom - if I manage to find some seeds - am I right in assuming that I don't plant them until spring?
wooconley - do you get a hard frost where you are? When I was in zone 9b, you could plant now and get a small harvest and then they'd keel over in November and then you could replant about Feb or March. Basil is pretty fast growing, especially if you "pinch" the growing tips to make it bushy. You could plant a few now in pots and bring them in whenever frost threatened. Don't know how well they'd do inside, but if they were inside for a week or two or four, they'd probably perk right up when you put them outside again. They've proven to be pretty indestructible for me :-)
Another option that may protect them from frost would be to put a row cover or cloche over them when the frost is expected.
kmom - We do get hard frosts here but not very often. The Dec-Jan lows are in the 30s. Daffodils start blooming in Feb - if I remember right. I've only lived here for 4 years and didn't pay much attention until about 2 years ago when we bought this house and I could actually plant things.
We sell 29 varieties of basil most of which are grown as annuals. But we have three that are considered perennials even though they are not frost tollerant. We have had them in our greenhouses for as long as 7 or 8 years before they faded away. One is African Blue Basil. It has a different flavor and fragrance than sweet basil. To me it smells like sausage believe it or not. Some of our customers like to use it cooking for things other than pesto. The other two are Aussie Sweetie and Greek Columnar Basil. These two are are very sweet and on the cinnamon side. All three are started by cuttings so have to be purchased by plants. Africn Blue flowers like a maniac but doesn't produce seeds. Aussie and Greek flower very little and I haven't seen either produce seeds.
In this area, African Blue Basil is sold as a companion plant to attract beneficial insects. I don't know anyone that eats it or uses it in cooking. The description of a sausage smell is interesting.
woo, we're in the same zone, and I've had it flourishing in a pot since February. I agree with kmom -- I plan to plant some in the ground come spring, but in the meantime, you get fresh basil all winter in a pot. Mighty nice.
brigidlilly - what size pots do you plant in? just regular potting soil?
I have some in a 10" pot and some in a 6x10 rectangular pot. Just regular potting soil. I water it with alfalfa tea every now and then.