Basil is a must have herb for the garden. At Penner Pumpkins Lorissa grows a large variety of basils. Lemon, purple leaves, spicy, sweet, lime, and more. Basil is commonly used in Italian dishes and for making pesto. It is a relatively easy herb to grow as long as it receives the proper care.

Basic basil care:

• Full sun, but can tolerate partial shade.
• Heat loving, cannot tolerate frost. Basil is one of the last trays I move into my greenhouse. Basil doesn’t like it cold and being in zone 3 it can get cold in my greenhouse.
• Soil should be moist, but well draining. It will love growing in containers or raised beds, but I have successfully growing it in my garden. My garden is clay based and can turn to bricks after too much rain.
• Pinch off any flowers that form, the flip side is flowers will attract pollinators.
• Basil is prone to powdery mildew, the best way to avoid this is make sure plants are adequately spaced.
• If your plant looks unhappy check the soil: too wet and you’re overwatering and too dry you’re underwatering. You need to find the happy medium.

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