Lemon Basil

Lemon Basil is an heirloom basil variety that adds a bright kick of flavor to fish, shrimp, pasta and more! It is also a great herb to use when creating your own infused oil or vinegars. Lemon Basil produces a more compact plant than traditional basil varieties. As a result, it can be easily grown indoors with our Kitchen Garden Light Kit. It can also be grown outdoors in a raised bed or traditional row garden. It handles the summer heat well and will keep producing as long as flowers are removed when they appear.

Lemon Basil can be harvested multiple times throughout the spring and fall growing seasons. It will bolt and flower once temperatures warm in summer. Be sure to harvest only one-third of the leaves on a plant at one time. This will ensure that the plant has plenty of leaves remaining for continued production. Basil grows best when it has consistently moist soil without any prolonged periods of drought. The aroma from basil leaves can also serve as a pest deterrent in the garden, repelling common garden pests like aphids and hornworms.

Lemon Basil may be direct-seeded or transplanted, although we recommend transplanting. If direct seeding, use a walk-behind seeder and plant densely along the row. We suggest using a modified #1 or #2 plate for direct seeding basil. As always, seed plate holes should be modified to fit the size of the seed being used. For large, full-sized plants, thin to one plant every 4″ along the row. Transplanting is our preferred method of planting basil. We recommend starting transplants 3-4 weeks before the desired outdoor planting date. Basil transplants grow great in our heavy-duty seed starting trays, where they develop a solid root ball with roots that are trained to grow downward. Plants are ready to go in the ground when they can be easily pulled from the cells in the seed starting tray.

Lemon Basil Planting Information

Planting Method: direct seed or transplant

When to Plant: early spring and fall

Planting Depth: 1/4″

Seed Spacing: 4"

Row Spacing: 18″

Days to Maturity: 60

Disease Tolerance: None