basil varieties?

[unconcerned]

Hello
I mainly grow chilli peppers but since we got an allotment and a new (secondhand) greenhouse we have been filling seed tray after seed tray with veg. We do have a few herbs dotted about in pots, and I grew some basil seeds last year with great success. I am trying agin this year and have "sweet genovese" which I believe is the standard variety. I have had a search and there appear to be quite a few other varieties. Does anyone know of any definitive lists of basil varieties? Or anyone have any seeds of other varieties they would like to swap for chilli seeds?

Many thanks

[Paulottie]

There was a purple one I grew once (Sorry,it didn't help my memory!) i'm growing one from unwins called 'sweet green' this year, & maybe you might want to try Thai basil-a bit more aniseedy. I had a herb catalogue that i'll try and dig out for you in next day or two.

[Alison]

Am currently growing plain green basil (Genoverse or something, I know that's not right but it does begin with 'G'!), lemon basil and thai basil. The first two I've grown loads of times before (and the red stuff occaisionally) but have never tried the Thai one so dont' know what it tastes like.

[smallblueplanet]

We grow ordinary basil and 'purple' basil with our toms. The purple basil is Seeds of Italy 'Violetto Aromatico', it has a deep, slightly peppery flavour.

http://www.seedsofitaly.com/product/279 - they call it red basil.

We also tried some lemon basil from Tamar but I can't remember much but it was nice.

Would you like to try some as a swop for some chilli seeds if you've any 'unusual ones'?

[JennieAtkinson]

I'm trying thai basil for the first time this year too Alison - Siam Queen. It looks as though it will be a lovely plant for a pot.

[Alison]

Didn't actually diliberately order it, it came free some other seeds from T&M but a do agree that it looks lovely on the packet and was very easy to germinate.

[TonyF]

Thre was an article about basil in another gardening magazine this month. I grow the genovese (big, easy to use leaves, always tear them don't cut them when you use them) and the red.

But I also grow the very small leaved Greek or Mediterranian basil, when I was gardening in Greece a few years ago, everybody grew it (mainly in large old olive oil tins) and it was that type that the old women said kept the flies out the kitchen if you grew it by an open window and that seemed to work.
More subtle flavour than genovese.

[serenity]

theres a large leaved basil too, stocked by real seeds


http://www.realseeds.co.uk/herbs.html

[unconcerned]

Thanks, I found this link if anyone else is interested
http://earthnotes.tripod.com/basil_h.htm

[Paulottie]

Wow, loads of different sorts, interesting thanks.

[Herbaholic]

Just thought I'd mention that there are free dark opal basil seeds with the June issue of GYO and an article inside all about dark opal basil.

[tattiefritter]

Got my copy yesterday and saw the seeds, haven't has time to look through it properly yet but I'm looking forward to adding them to my basil collection. Currently I have two "ordinary" basil plants which were split from a supermarket plant and are romping away, some lime basil (smells lovely) and some Siam Queen. Looking forward to lots of pesto this summer.

[Paulottie]

Really glad about those freebies as my other basil seeds seem to be duff

[Flummery]

Funnily enough, I said to Himself the night before the mag came, 'I'm thinking of growing some basil, what do you reckon?' Next day, there it was on the mat! What shall I wish for next?

[momol]

Dear All,

Hi all, I aware that most of you are growing more than 1 type of basil ... I just want to inform you all that all basil can cross polinate each other ( sorry if the subject change a bit ). I grew thai basil before and Italian basil and they were pollinated by bees and somehow I have the cross version of them ( big leaves like italian basil but it has purples to red stem and it's aroma is a bit milder than the real thai basil ). very interesting type...

Momol