Basil
A frost-tender summer herb classically grown alongside tomatoes; in cooler regions it does best in a warm, sheltered pot.
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Spacing
- 25cm
- Harvest
- Ready in 30-45 days
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
- Expected yield
- Regular leaf picking over summer
- Cost to grow
- ~$4 NZD
- Grocery value
- ~$25 NZD
- Companion plants
- Tomatoes, Capsicum, Asparagus
- Plants to avoid nearby
- Cucumber
- Common diseases
- Downy mildew
- Common pests
- Aphids, Slugs and snails, Thrips
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: January and October-December. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: November-December. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: December.
Growing stages
Germination & sowing5-10 days in warm soil
- Needs warm soil to germinate; don't sow or plant out until frost risk has passed, as basil is frost-tender
- Slugs and snails can shred emerging seedlings overnight
Seedling & establishment
- In cooler regions, grow in a warm, sheltered pot rather than open ground
- Aphids and thrips can colonise soft new growth
- Downy mildew can appear early in humid, still conditions
Leaf growth & harvest30-45 days from sowing, then ongoing over summer
- Pick leaves regularly to keep plants bushy and productive
- Keep watching for downy mildew through humid summer weather
- Being frost-tender, plants will collapse with the first autumn frost, ending the season