Genovese Basil
ocimum basilicum

days to maturity: 65 days
plant spacing: 2 per square foot
sunlight requirements: 6-14 hours
look out for: basil leaf miner & mildew
harvest notes: harvest new growing tips & branches
seasons: fall, winter, spring, summer
annual

Genovese aka Sweet aka Italian basil is the most popular herb ever, however its also unfortunately really trick to grow in Miami! Italian basil is notorious for getting “downey mildew” in all climates, but mildews are harder to control and manage in humid areas like Miami. We grow
a new downey mildew resistant variety developed by Rutgers University but even that isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be able to avoid getting mildew on your plants because of how intensely humid it is here. To increase your changes of success make sure your plant is in well draining soil and gets LOTS OF SUN and airflow. Don’t water your whole plant from above but rather water just the soil and allow it to dry out between waterings. Harvest whole branches about 6” down, just above the new growing tips at the leaf joint, so that those new growing tips can produce the next harvests crop of leaves. If you end up getting brown splotches on your leaves, those are from the Basil Leaf Miner pest, which can be hard to manage without excluding flying insects from touching your plants.