Year of the Basil

If there ever was a plant for today's home gardener, it would be basil. Yes, in today's run-around world where you wish you could buy a 5-gallon impatiens plant (so it's already full-grown and literally covered with blooms), I bring you the basil.

The National Garden Bureau, a non-profit organization that disseminates gardening information to the public on behalf of the home garden seed industry, has declared 2001 the Year of the Basil. This popular herb has been grown since the 1600s primarily for its medicinal qualities. You may know it more as a very important ingredient in Asian cuisines and classic pesto sauce. The genus name is actually sweet basil, which gives you a clue to its fragrant qualities.

Which brings us back to why this versatile plant is so in-keeping with our busy lives. Basil is not only easy to grow in warm weather, but is attractive enough to be grown solely for its glossy green or purple leaves. Put it in a tradtional herb garden, in the vegetable plot or use it as a border in a flower bed. They combine well with annual flowers, such as dwarf petunias, French marigolds, snapdragons and nicotiana. You can even try the old-fashioned technique of keeping flies away by planting basils around the patio or in containers on the deck.

There's that wonderful fragrance again. Freshly harvested leaves of sweet basil will liven up any salad. Create the classic pesto sauce, combining basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Whip up basil butter or make basil vinegar to use in salad dressings. You can also dry the leaves and use it to add flavor to many dishes.

I always grow a little basil in small containers right on the windowsill outside the kitchen. That way, it's easy to get to while cooking in the kitchen. Basil can be grown in containers or in the ground. Plant basils at the same level as or just slightly deeper than they were growing in their original pots.

Basil is also easy to start from seed. Whether you sow seeds indoors or out, remember that basil does not like cold or even cool weather. Sow the seeds outdoors when day and night temperatures reach about 55 to 60 degrees. When sown or transplanted at the right time, basil is one of the easiest herbs to successfully grow.

Don't be confused at the various types of basils. There are four basic types: the familiar sweet green basil, dwarf green basil, purple-leafed basil and scented leaf basil. Sweet basil is the most widely grown at about 2 feet. Popular varieties in recent years include "Siam Queen," a 1987 All America Selections' winner that is licorice flavored. Popular purple-leafed varieties include: Dark Opal," "Purple Ruffles" and "Red Rubin."

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