LEMON BASIL
There are many different basils you can grow. The most commonly grown is ‘Genovese’ with its large leaves and distinctive flavour, but you can get basils with different size and shaped leaves. Some may be dark purple, some ruffled. We are giving away lemon basil this month and, as the name suggests, it has slightly citrus overtones to the flavour.
Lemon basil can be used the same as other basils, but it will work well with chicken and fish dishes too. It will also make a lovely pesto or you could finely chop and stir into pasta. If making a stir fry, at the last moments of cooking sprinkle in a bit of lemon basil for a zingy flavour.
HOW TO GROW
Basil is a tender plant but can be sown all year round on a windowsill. The seeds will need a temperature of about 15-20C (60-68F) to germinate. It is a good idea to sow a succession of small pots of basil so you always have young tender leaves and shoots to harvest. Eventually, older plants may produce flowers and the leaves become tough and stronger in flavour.
A small 9cm (3½in) pot is fine to use. Fill with multi-purpose compost and gently level and firm the surface. Sprinkle the seeds over the surface. You can sow roughly 10 seeds evenly over the compost so you get a pot of several small plants rather than just one. Lightly cover with more compost or vermiculite and then water. Place on a warm windowsill.
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Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years
RESTORING THE BALANCE
The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality
Celebrating Organic September!
In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive
SEEING RED
Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try
A NEW kitchen garden
Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!
