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Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-578
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Basil is a fast-growing aromatic herb, perennial in the tropics but killed outright by frost, which is why it is grown as an annual almost everywhere else. Its leaves, flowers and seed are all edible - the seed turns mucilaginous when soaked and is used to make the drink sherbet tokhum - and it also does double duty as pest control, repelling mosquitoes, houseflies and greenhouse pests when the living or dried plant is kept close by. Bees love its flowers, which is the real reason behind its old reputation as a companion for tomatoes, though it does poorly planted with rue or sage and can slow the fruiting of nearby raspberries. It contains estragole, a compound flagged as potentially carcinogenic in concentrated form, so it is not taken during pregnancy or given as oil to infants.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 10–11
- Soil
- Sand · Loam
- Moisture
- Well-Drained · Moist
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 5–8
- Plant type
- Annual
- Mature height
- 18–24 in
- Mature spread
- 4–14 in
- Plant spacing
- 12–36 in
- Root type
- Fibrous-shallow
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
Similar plants
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African Eggplant
Solanum aethiopicum
African Eggplant, also called gboma or scarlet eggplant, is a West and Central African relative of eggplant that gives two harvests from one…
Herbaceous · USDA 8–12
Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
Alfalfa is a deep-rooted perennial legume grown worldwide as one of the richest forage crops available, its taproot running six metres or…
Herbaceous · USDA 4–11
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera
Aloe Vera is a stemless, clump-forming succulent with thick, spiny-edged leaves that store a clear gel used to soothe burns, wounds and skin…
Herbaceous · USDA 10–12
Amaranth Greens
Amaranthus tricolor
Amaranth greens are one of the few leafy vegetables actually built for peak summer heat rather than one that just tolerates it - sown once…
Herbaceous · USDA 2–11
Arrowroot
Maranta arundinacea
Arrowroot's rhizome is ground into a fine, easily digested starch used to thicken soups, sauces and pastries without leaving any mealy flavor…
Herbaceous · USDA 10–12
Arugula
Eruca vesicaria
Arugula is the fastest food crop in the collection, germinating in about a day and giving a first harvest of strongly peppery leaves within…
Herbaceous · USDA 2–11
The deeper layer
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- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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