Purple Basil

Purple basil is cultivated from ordinary basil, and there are several varieties. Purple basil is used the same way as any other type of basil – for flavor or as a garnish.

Purple basil is grown for their color. Occasionally breeders will grow varieties that have the purple color, but not the great basil flavor, but they’re getting better at it. Sometimes the plant will go back to being green. This can be avoided if you remove green shoots when they appear. If you leave the plant alone, it will eventually turn completely green.

If you’re growing purple (or any other type of) basil, the flavor comes from the oils that the basil plant produces. Basil will produce more essential oils if it gets more heat and sunlight. Purple basil generally has to work harder to produce the essential oils. If you live where it is cool and / or shady, you’ll need to find a place for the purple basil that gets as much sunlight and heat as possible. 

Purple basil is a great addition to your herb garden because not only does it add its wonderful flavor to Italian dishes and tomato-based dishes, it also smells good in plant form and is attractive as well. You can substitute purple basil in any recipe that uses regular basil. Start out with slightly less purple basil than you normally use because the flavor is more intense and you don’t want to overdo it.

To plant purple basil, choose a hot, sunny location. Six or more hours of direct sunlight are ideal. The soil should be loose and it should drain well. Basil prefers fertile soil, unlike many other herbs that do not, so add organic matter to the soil if your soil is not rich and fertile. Sprinkle the basil seeds onto the soil and cover with about a quarter-inch of soil. Gently press the soil down with your hand. The seeds should not be planted too deeply, since this may prevent them from germinating.

Spray the area where you’ve planted the basil with a fine mist from your garden hose to keep the soil moist until they seeds germinate. After the seedlings have three or more sets of true leaves, thin the plants to one every four inches. You can transplant the extra seedlings elsewhere if you’re careful to remove the whole root system with them.

Water purple basil whenever the soil becomes dry. To harvest, pick leaves from the top of the plant. This way you will have a continual supply of fresh basil. When you harvest the leaves from the top, it will encourage the plant to grow from the sides, creating a bushier, thicker plant.