Growing Home: Basil Varieties

There are different types of basil varieties to choose from including little leaf, globe shaped plants and varieties that smell like cinnamon, clove, lemon, lime, and licorice. The most popular culinary basil is “Genovez.” Basil likes to produce flowers but when it flowers it stops growing the flavorful leaves. Pinch the basil tips back every two weeks to force the plant to focus on growing new stems and leaves instead of flowers. The variety “Emerald Tower” rarely flowers and has slightly smaller leaves but has great yields. Wait until it warms up to set out basil because it likes to grow in warm weather.