Cart

Close

Congratulations! You are now on the waiting list, please check your inbox for our confirmation email!

Register Account

Sign In

Sweet Basil - Seeds

$3.99 NZD

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 

 

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)

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

FREE shipping for orders $99+
Pay later Afterpay & ZIP
100% NZ In stock in NZ ready to ship
Fast delivery 1 to 3 days for most of NZ
FREE Shipping For all orders $99+ shipping NZ wide
Pay later Afterpay and ZIP available
100% NZ NZ owned. All in stock locally.
Guaranteed :) Anything wrong I'll put it right