Basil Sweet – Ocimum basilicum

Ocimum basilicum
Full Sun Perfect for Pots Loved by Pollinators Scented Edible Perennial Tender Perennial

An essential ingredient in Italian cooking. Bright green leaves provide a lift to tomato dishes, are fantastic with mozzarella and tomato or blitz to make pesto.

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Amount PriceStockQuantity
1 x Seed Pack £3.00 In Stock
1 x 9cm Potted Plant £3.50

E-mail when stock is available









Out of stock*
1 x 1 Litre Potted Plant £5.00

E-mail when stock is available









Out of stock*
5% discount is automatically applied for 3 or more of the same variety and pot size/seeds

*Out of stock? Select the buying option and Hetty will let you know when it's back.

More Information

Sweet Basil is perhaps the most popular basil variety with its large bright green leaves and the traditional basil scent. Flower buds should be pinched out to encourage a bushy plant and plenty of leaf growth. It is used extensively in Mediterranean dishes such as pesto. It also adds flavour to salads and tomato dishes.

Sweet Basil will grow well on a sunny windowsill. It is susceptible to the cold so only plant Basil outside after all danger of frost has passed, ideally not until early Summer, but this can still be challenging in the UK with just one cold day/night may damage the plant. Ideally grown in containers in a sheltered, sunny spot or in well-drained soil.  Plants can be kept in a pot all summer, just ensure you pot it into a slightly larger container when roots show through the drainage holes in the bottom, with the final pot being 20cm (8″) diameter.  The ideal temperature for Basil is between 15-20 degrees C.

Try to water Basil in the morning as it dislikes having wet roots overnight. Keep plants bushy and productive by pinching the tips of branches regularly and remove any flowers that start to develop. Basil is often planted as a companion for tomatoes to help deter whitefly.

Also known as Genovese, common basil, Greek royal, kiss-me-Nicholas

We are at the beginning of the Basil season so please be aware that plants will be small for the next few weeks.

Please note 1 x Seed Pack = Approximately 170 Seeds
An approximate number of seeds in each packet is given. Seeds are hand packed by weight, not counted individually.

Latin Name:
Ocimum basilicum
Common Name:
Basil Sweet
Position:
Sunny, sheltered, well drained and frost free site. Ideal for tubs and pots
Hardiness:
Tender in frost
Soil:
Loam, sand
Height:
30 cm /12 inches (50cm / 20" Spread)
Flowers:
White
Pollinator:
Yes
Scent:
Yes
Planting:
Water prior to and post planting as required
Care Tips:
Feed fortnightly through the growing season
Companion Plant:
It is believed to improve flavour and growth of tomatoes when planted together
J F M A M J J A S O N D
  • Plant Indoors
  • Plant Outside
  • Flowers/Harvest
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Hetty's Herbs
We are currently dispatching orders within 6 working days from the day we receive an order, with many orders being dispatched sooner. 

Each week the plants to complete orders are selected from the nursery, packaged and dispatched, with plants usually delivered to you the day after dispatch.  Each potted plant will arrive individually wrapped and the greatest of care will be given to ensure they arrive fresh and there is no damage during transportation. Orders aren't sent out on a Friday to reduce the risk of plants still being in transit over the weekend, although in our experience if plants are delayed we find they usually travel very well.

Hetty will send you an email once your order has been dispatched. For plant orders we use a DPD 24 hour service, although this isn’t guaranteed, DPD will send you an email and/or SMS messages to let you know how your order is tracking and the expected one hour delivery time slot. If you may not be available to take delivery of your order please enter alternative instructions (maximum of 50 characters) in your order details. Hetty highly recommends downloading the DPD App as you can track your order and update delivery instructions if need be.  

Non-plant only orders may be sent via a Royal Mail Tracked 48 service.

You can also view the status of your order if you have registered for a Hetty's account, not if you have shopped as a guest.

Many plants are 'ready now' and available to dispatch in the current dispatch cycle whilst other plants can be 'pre-ordered' to be be delivered in a few weeks. Hetty may at her discretion sometimes chose to split an order for no additional charge.

With over 200 varieties of plants grown over the season one of our biggest challenges is to predict the exact number of plants available at any one time.  We get it right most of the time but with so many factors affecting plants occasionally when we go to select the plants for an order we find the plants are not available to pick.  This can be for a number of reasons such as the weather delaying plants being ready in a new batch or plants nearing the end of a batch not being of a high enough quality. Hetty will make contact if your order is affected to discuss the next step which could be to offer a substitute, place your order on hold or to provide a refund.   

There is a minimum order value of £10 for all orders. 

For most mainland UK addresses for orders of £10 to £30 the delivery fee is £7.50.

For orders over £30 to £50 delivery is £5.

For orders over £50 delivery is FREE for most mainland UK addresses.

For orders of only seeds delivery is £3.

Orders can be collected from Hetty's packing location at PE11 4JH. This option is available on checkout with a 20% discount. Please note that collection is not immediate, these orders are processed along with our other orders and may be up to 6 working days, we will e-mail once it is available to collect. 

Delivery to parts of Scotland and the Scottish Highlands and Island will incur an additional delivery charge which will automatically be added at the checkout.  Please note that we are unable to offer delivery to the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, Northern Ireland, Scottish Islands, Channel Islands or to any address outside of the UK at the present time.

For more information on our order, delivery, cancellation and returns processes please see our terms and conditions.  If however you have any questions or would like further information, then please contact us.

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