Basil

Essential information for growing basil from seed, from sowing indoors or direct-seeding, germination, transplanting and spacing, to soil and temperature requirements, culture, and harvesting.

A downloadable, printable, full-color PDF version of our Basil Comparison Chart, including part numbers, varieties, days to harvest, height, seed options, disease resistances, growing applications, and uses.

Written by our research team, this reference contains the essential information for growing ORNAMENTAL (FLOWERING) BASIL. Read more for a successful harvest!

Looking for a compact Genovese basil variety to try this year? 'Everleaf' offers: a) Disease resistance; b) Compact habit, with short spaces between leaves and branches — perfect for live plant and container production, or for extended harvest in the field or garden; c) High productivity, despite a small stature; d) Attractive, cupped leaves with a traditional asil flavor and aroma; and e) last but not least, plants that are slower to bolt than most varieties, by up to 8 weeks, lengthening the harvest window for top-quality leaves. Learn more by watching our video!

Here's a look at the results of Johnny's R&D basil team's extensive research on Prospera basil in relation to its basil downy mildew resistance.

Here's a look at Prospera Red, the first red downy mildew-resistant basil, available through Johnny's Selected Seeds.

Save money by growing your own vegetables and herbs. Niki Jabbour explains how, by choosing: a) easy-to-grow, productive varieties; that b) you love and use a lot; and that c) are more costly if you buy them.

Canadian gardening author and educator Niki Jabbour talks her 3 favorite varieties for basil downy mildew prevention and control: Prospera® DMR; Prospera® Compact DMR; and Prospera® Italian Large Leaf DMR.