Two Things to Know About Slow-Growing Basil

My relationship with basil is of the love/hate variety.

It’s one of my favorite herbs, don’t get me wrong. There is nothing that can bring back summer in the midst of winter better than a frozen cake of pesto, melting slowly from the heat of pasta.

Yum.

The mid-summer ease of basil’s cultivation is ideal, too. Give it water in a modest amount and it’s good to go, even forgiving you for infrequent fertilizing. (Sorry about that, basil.)

But—BUT—there are two issues that can stunt your basil.

Delayed Feedback

The first, which I think I’ve written about before, is that it takes so long to get settled, happy, and growing from transplanting into the ground in spring. No matter how late in the season I plant basil, it sits in a limbo of sorts until the weather suits its needs 100%. This characteristic is a bit frustrating, as I do like some feedback that it is happy and content—something basil just doesn’t give me until several weeks later.

Early Flowering

The second issue I have with basil is that it begins to flower way earlier than I’d like it to flower. Once basil flowers its growth slows, an indication to the plant that it’s fulfilled its life cycle and it can slow down and die. Snipping off the flowers becomes a daily task—one that I could do without.

Common Genovese basil is the kind you might pick up as a 6-pack in a garden center—it does flower early and constantly. But, not all basils grow in this manner.

The latest basil additions to my garden are Emerald Frills and Ruby Frills. It’s been in my garden since late May and has yet—in mid August—to produce even a hint of flowers. It’s growing quite tall, too, and is loaded with leaves. Emerald and Ruby Frills are vegetative varieties, which means that the plant might cost you a bit more in the store. But, honestly, the extra cost is worth the time I save by not having to deadhead my basil plants. Plus, because they grow so prolifically I really do need fewer plants. Few to no flowers, easy to grow, no time fretting about it—I’m sold!