Congratulations! You are now on the waiting list, please check your inbox for our confirmation email!
Register Account
Sweet Basil - Seeds
Delicious, fragrant, multi-purpose Sweet Basil is one of the all-time most popular culinary herbs to grow indoors and out. This variety is very easy to grow, germinates quickly, and is fast to mature.
This is THE classic Italian basil. A staple in most pesto recipes and a popular addition to tomato-based dishes. Delicious on pizza and with pasta. A must with tomato and mozzarella or buffalo cheese (with a little balsalmic drizzled over the top, yum!). Grow your own for a sweeter taste (store-bought Basil tends to have a more bitter edge to the taste).
About this herb
Variety: Sweet Basil (Genovese Basil)
Botanical name: Ocimum basilicum
Popular for: Italian dishes, pizza and pasta, bruschetta, served with tomatoes and mozzarella, Caprese Salad, pesto
Sow depth: Shallow, 3mm
Germination in: 10 to 12 days
Mature in: 6 weeks
When to sow: Outdoors - North and South Island: Spring to early Autumn. Indoors - All year round if house is heated in winter, grow light required in winter.
Growing tips
Sweet Basil is also called Genovese Basil. It has big, tasty leaves, is a hardy, fast grower, and has a wonderful aroma that wafts through the air at the slightest touch. A popular choice for hydro and indoors as it prefers containers and likes being bunched together with other herbs and plants.
Pinch back frequently for bushier, compact growth. Germinates easily so don't go overboard sowing all your seeds at once (or thin out extras after germination). Can be cut and dried to store for later use.
The big, dark green leaves will curl under slightly as it matures, a good sign your Basil is happy and healthy. They like part sun and part shade so a spot outdoors that gets both over the course of the day is ideal, or a grow light is best for indoors if you don't have the perfect sunny spot. Morning to midday sun tends to be tolerated better than the scorching afternoon sun but it depends on the time of year.
Basil does produce flowers which are quite pretty - and edible - but because plants allowed to produce flowers will put their energy into the flowers not the leaves, the flavour of the leaves will suffer (they become bitter), so I recommend trimming the flowers when they do appear.
Basil is super easy to propagate from stem cuttings too, so take a good size cutting, pop in water, and once roots appear, off you go again! Take a good bunch and tie with string, to make a delicious, thoughtful gift for a fellow cook. If you follow Feng Shui, Basil is considered a lucky plant. Basil was called the King of Herbs by the Ancient Greeks.
Recipe ideas
One of my favourites is a Caprese Bagel, combining the famous Caprese Salad and pesto on a freshly toasted bagel with roasted cherry tomatoes and plenty of fresh Sweet Basil. Utterly delicious. Get a recipe for the ultimate Caprese Bagel here
Shipping and Delivery FAQ's
SHIPPING RATES
Shipping is FREE for all orders $99+. Orders under $99: Auckland Standard $5, signature required $7, or rural $9. Rest of the North Island and the South Island: Standard $8, signature required $10, or rural $12. Plants, fragile and overweight/oversize parcels have separate rates.
IN STOCK IN NZ
Stock levels are live. Everything showing in stock online, is in stock right here, right now, in Auckland New Zealand, ready to ship. No drop shipping from other countries. No delays.
SHIPPING EVERY DAY
Orders ship every week-day. Orders placed before 7pm Mon to Thurs leave the next morning. Zoom zoom! Fri morning orders usually ship Fri afternoon, and Sat & Sun orders up to 4pm Sun leave Mon (or the next working day after public holidays).
FAST DELIVERY
Normal delivery is 1 to 3 working days. Rural and some regions can take a day or two longer, depending on where you're based (orders ship from Auckland).
More about shipping and delivery >
HAPPY CUSTOMERS
"I can’t recommend love that leaf highly enough. I’ve bought a couple of times so far and on both occasions Anna has been more helpful than I could possibly wish for. 5 stars! Don’t hesitate to order from Love That Leaf. Excellent service and super fast delivery." Rob Gordon
Why choose to buy from Love That Leaf?
YOU'RE SUPPORTING LOCAL
When you buy from me you're supporting a small, local, family business. Love That Leaf is a registered NZ business, based in Auckland.
IN STOCK NOW + NEXT DAY DISPATCH
You'll get your planty goodies super fast. Everything showing in stock on the website is right here in NZ, in stock, ready to ship. I ship daily, Monday to Friday. Orders normally leave the courier the same or next working day. Zoom zoom!
I'LL PUT IT RIGHT
I stand by everything I sell and will always help put right anything that goes wrong. When you choose to buy from a registered NZ business (like me), you're also covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act, unlike overseas purchases or private sales, where you can end up stuck with no rights if anything arrives damaged or stops working.
SUPER SUPPORT
I won't go AWOL on you. I'm here for support and advice anytime, even if you haven't bought from me yet. A lot of lovely people helped me along my plant journey, and I want to pay it forward. Please don't hesitate to ask for help. No obligation at all to purchase.
HAPPY CUSTOMERS
"Super impressed with this business. Something that is lost nowadays, is customer service. This however is not the case with Anna from Love that Leaf. Very happy with my purchase, very happy with the product information provided and very happy with the quick shipping and great packaging. Thanks!" Melayna Anderson