Seedling 3″ Basil “Rosie”

Description

Rosie Basil stands out as a robust plant, maintaining its deep color better than any other purple basil variety. It offers exceptional flavor and impressive productivity, showcasing tall purple stalks and charming lavender flowers that add visual appeal to any garden. While occasional green plants may appear, this is a natural occurrence due to the variability inherent in open-pollinated seeds. Green seedlings can be removed at the early stage, yet they still yield excellent basil flavor.

• Exposure: Full Sun
• Growing: Use any rich, loose, well-drained soil. Once plants are 15cm (6″) tall, pinch out the growing tips to encourage really bushy growth prior to harvest. Watch for signs of flower buds forming in mid-summer, and pinch these off to promote more foliage.
• Harvest: Frequent harvesting will prolong the life of the plant. Basil leaves have the best flavor just before the plant flowers, and if you plan to preserve some of your basil or make a big batch of pesto, this is the best time to harvest. Flowering can be delayed by pinching or clipping off new flower buds.Tear basil rather than chop with a knife because chopping tends to bruise the leaves. Add basil to food just before serving to get the full aroma and effect. Cooking for any length tends to make the minty side of basil come to the forefront.Basil is best fresh but can be preserved by drying or by freezing. To freeze, tear the leaves into small pieces and freeze small batches of them, with water, in ice cube trays. Once frozen, the cubes can be saved in zip-lock-type bags and labeled for later use. This will preserve the fresh flavor of basil for up to four months.