An American favorite King of Herbs

By Marilyn McKinley

OSU Ext. master gardener volunteer

To many lovers of fresh food, summer means tomatoes and fresh basil.

Basil is known as the “King of Herbs.”

Originally native to India and Iran, basil came to Europe via Italy. In native India, it is nearly as sacred as the lotus flower.

Like most herbs, it was used in ancient times for medicinal purposes to treat many maladies. It was an antispasmodic, antidepressant, antiseptic, antibacterial, used for stomach issues and conducive to meditation.

It also was used for headaches, to increase appetite, to improve blood circulation and to treat fevers, cough, snake and insect bites, fungal infections and rheumatism.

Interestingly, basil also was used to chase away bad luck, as a love charm, for aromatic baths and for keeping moths from the wardrobe.

Today, we just love the flavor – whether fresh or as pesto.

Basil is an annual plant you have to start every year, but it is easy to grow.

Perhaps one of the biggest problems is the rush to get it into the garden in spring.

Basil needs warm temperatures to germinate from seed. For this reason, most people buy plants rather than try to grow from seed.

Basil needs a sunny spot in well-drained soil. It should be planted about 8 inches apart.

Basil is a “cut and come again” herb, so you can enjoy the same plant nearly all season.

There are many varieties of basil. Perhaps the most popular is “sweet” or “Genovese.” This variety is widely used in Italian cooking.

Other popular varieties are Spicy Globe, Dwarf Bush, Lemon, African blue (which smells like camphor), Lettuce leaf and Purple ruffle.

A hard-to-find but worth the search variety is Pesto Perpetuo. Its leaves are edged in white and it does not produce flower spikes.

Basil is packed with potassium and calcium.

For best flavor don’t let the plant go to flower. As with most other plants, the bitter taste takes over,

Basil does seem to attract slugs and Japanese beetles. Soft-bodied insects like aphids, spider mites, and white flies can be controlled with insecticidal soap.

Diseases include Fusarium wilt, a fungus. The plant grows, then suddenly becomes stunted and brown. Pull and throw away.

Overhead watering and poor aeration may cause gray mold to develop.

Basil also is susceptible to Downy mildew. Watch for yellowing of leaves and purplish gray spots.

Rotate where basil is planted. Basil and tomatoes are good companion (and eating) crops.

Basil-walnut pesto

2 peeled garlic cloves

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup Parmesan cheese

4 cups (packed) fresh basil

1/3 cup light olive oil

Put garlic, walnuts in food processor until ground. Drop in cheese, 2 cups of basil and half the oil and process. Finally, add remaining basil and oil.

For information and recipes for basil, visit go.osu.edu/plantbasil.