Growing basil

  • Space individual plants 12 to 18 inches apart.

  • Before planting, add some general purpose fertilizer and some compost to the soil. Regular fertilizing every couple of weeks will enhance production (though I never get around to doing that in my garden and I still have more basil than I need).

  • Basil does best with evenly moist soil.

  • Here at WILLS FARM, I have found that basil plants do better with a little protection from sun during the hottest part of the day. Planting basil between tomato plants works well, or I provide a light covering for them, especially on the hottest days.

  • Harvesting: As your basil plants grow, pinch off the central stem when they are about 6 weeks old, and prune back each stem when it has more than 8 sets of leaves. (Cut it back to the first or second set of leaves, harvesting the rest.) If you keep your plants well pinched and pruned, you should be able to harvest half a cup of fresh leaves every week during the growing season. The flavor is diminished after the plants start blooming. NOTE: In my garden, the variety ‘Everleaf Emerald Towers’ has never bloomed! The only downside to that variety is that it has smaller leaves than the standard culinary varieties.

    PLEASE NOTE: The plants on my farm table have NOT been hardened off. They are straight from the greenhouse.
    You can do one of the following:
    1. Expose them gradually to outdoor conditions over a week
    -OR (as I do)-
    2. Plant them immediately and give them protection from excess sun, wind, and rain for a week or two. 

Below are the basil offerings for 2025. I will be planting them more than once, so if you don’t get a plant on the first round, there will definitely be at least one more chance!

Basil ‘Everleaf Emerald Towers’

Everleaf Emerald Towers

A robust, Genovese basil that has been bred to flower up to 8 weeks later than standard varieties. Everleaf is a fast-growing, tidy, well-branched columnar plant with delicious, robust flavor. Great for container or in-ground growing. You’ll have continuous harvests of fresh leaves without the worry of the plant blooming and turning the foliage bitter. Resistant to downy mildew and Fusarium. (Territorial Seed)
Reviews: Sheena on Aug 19, 2021 — “I trialed 10 types of basil in my garden, as of August 19th, they all have flowered except this variety. It makes an excellent pesto and is great fresh in dishes. If you can only grow one, let it be this one.”
Ralph Zenier on Oct 13, 2020 — “This plant performed very well without flowering and was very pest free in Portland, OR. Was one of our real winners this season.

Basil ‘Amethyst Improved’

Amethyst Improved

Genovese-type purple basil. Large 2–3" long, turned-down leaves. This stunning basil is nearly black in color. Purple flowers and red leaves make an attractive garnish. Ht. 16-20”. Edible Flowers: Use the flowers in any recipe that calls for basil, or to garnish drinks, salads, soups, pasta, and desserts. Flavor is of intense basil. (Johnny’s Selected Seed)

Basil ‘Mammoth Sweet’

Mammoth Sweet

The beginnings of a culinary masterpiece! Hailed by the chefs of Italy, we bring you the largest-leaved basil we have seen. Sought after for its culinary wrapping qualities, Mammoth Sweet has large yellow-green leaves with slight puckering and the most heavenly aroma. (Territorial Seed)

Reviews from Territorial Seed:
Best. Basil. Ever. I’ve grown Territorial’s Mammoth Basil from seed for more than 10 years. It has intense flavor that stands out in pestos and sauces. I love it in so many recipes - especially gazpacho. I freeze it and dry it for year-round use and it holds its flavor well. I give gifts of Mammoth seed to friends and family.
Super good! I love this basil and always want the transplants to start early inside a tomato teepee. Those big leaves are great in and as wraps and they make great long strips for garnish. Wonderful flavor as well.

Basil ‘Emily’

Emily

A classic Genovese basil with a sweet aroma, compact habit and disease resistance. Emily is a versatile, premium-quality variety that is well suited for garden or container cultivation. Reaching 12-18 inches tall, the plants offer lots of long, succulent leaves for repeated cutting thanks to its rapid regrowth. (Territorial Seed)

Review from Territorial Seed:
Great Basil
I started several of these from seed and was pleased with how they turned out. The taste was great, and plants held up well throughout the summer with regular harvest. Even after some started to bolt the flavor remained good. Our summer was unusually hot this year, and I found the plants that were partially shaded by the tomato trellis performed particularly well and were much slower to bolt.

Basil ‘Everleaf Thai Towers’

Everleaf Thai Towers
Exceptional Thai basil.

Very slow-bolting, incredibly productive plant with vibrant Thai flavor. Compared to Sweet Thai, Everleaf Thai Towers has larger leaves at 2–3", a taller, more productive plant habit, and is much later to flower. Plants are very upright with purple stems and densely packed, dark green leaves with a purple blush. Makes a beautiful, tidy, towering plant. Long, strong stems and profuse leaf production make it excellent for both bunching (from a field planting) and growing in pots. Similarly strong Thai/anise aroma to that of Sweet Thai. Compared to Cinnamon Basil, its aroma has less sweetness. Flowers/bolts 10–12 weeks later than standard Thai basil. Ht. 20–24". (Johnny’s Selected Seed)

Basil ‘Profumo’

Profumo

This compact Genovese-type basil has a true, clean flavor, and the spirited aroma that’s just right for preparing recipes that call for a classic basil taste and fragrance. The brilliant green, oval leaves grow densely on mounding plants for many harvests through-out the season. Exhibiting notable disease resistance, Profumo is a superior performer in both the garden and greenhouse. Compact plant habit makes it a stellar choice for containers. (Territorial Seed)