Halifax Herb Basil Everleaf Thai Towers Pkg.

Common Name: Basil ‘Everleaf Thai Towers’

Scientific Name: Ocimum basilicum

Life Cycle: Annual

Description Detail: A beautifully branched Thai basil with short internodes that creates a tidy, upright, columnar plant. It produces aromatic green foliage with a vibrant licorice-like flavour that complements Thai cuisine and many other dishes. The variety flowers 10-12 weeks later than standard Thai basil, providing a long harvest period and excellent leaf production.

Days to Germinate: 5-10 days

Bloom / Harvest: 45-60 days from seed, or approximately 30-45 days from transplant. Harvest leaves regularly once plants are established. Late flowering allows for an extended period of leaf production.

Germination Needs: Sow seeds approximately 6 mm (¼") deep in warm, moist, well-drained soil. Maintain temperatures around 21-27°C and keep the growing medium consistently moist until germination.

Lighting: Full sun

Watering Needs: Keep soil evenly moist during germination and early growth. Once established, water when the soil begins to dry, avoiding consistently wet or waterlogged conditions.

Starting Instructions: Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before the last spring frost. Provide warmth and bright light during germination and early growth. Transplant outdoors once the danger of frost has passed and temperatures are consistently warm. It can also be direct sown after the soil has warmed.

Care Instructions: Grow in fertile, well-drained soil with full sun. Harvest leaves frequently to encourage branching and continued production. Pinch growing tips to maintain a full, tidy shape. Although this variety flowers later than standard Thai basil, remove flower buds if maximum leaf production is desired.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Garden Benefits: Provides a long-lasting supply of aromatic culinary herbs and is suitable for in-ground gardens, containers and hydroponic growing. Its flowers can also provide a food source for bees and other pollinators when allowed to bloom.

Special Notes: Halifax Seed lists the plant at approximately 24" (60 cm) tall and suitable for containers. The current packet contains approximately 15 seeds.

Tips For Success: Provide plenty of warmth and sunlight, harvest frequently, and pinch the growing tips to encourage branching. Its naturally columnar habit makes it particularly useful where vertical growing space is limited.

Companion Plants: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, lettuce, oregano, parsley and marigolds.