Tulsi (Holy Basil) – Temperate (Ocimum africanum) (~300 Seeds)

Tulsi, or holy basil, is becoming a popular tea herb and for good reason! It contains powerful adaptogens that are proven to help the body’s resilience to environmental stressors. And delightfully, it’s extremely easy to grow at home. It’s very different from the herb Italian basil – it tastes minty with spicy hints of clove and some say it smells “tutti-frutti”.This type of holy basil is adapted to temperate areas, growing and flowering quickly. It should be trimmed several times during the season, cutting 2-4 inches of top growth right before flowers open. Those leafy shoots should then be dried on screens indoors for tea. Without pruning, it will grow taller and much less branched, but becomes a rounded, highly-branched bush 1-3 ft tall if pruned. Plenty of flowers will likely escape cutting and are absolute magnets for bees and other pollinators. In fact, this is one of the best pollinator plants I’ve ever seen, completely buzzing with life in summer.Plants can be direct-sown but are best started indoors 3-4 weeks before last frost. They germinate best if sown on the surface of the soil, or covered very lightly with fine potting mix, and then covered with a plastic bag to preserve moisture. After they germinate in 7-10 days, the bag can be removed. Later, clumps of plants can be planted out in the garden, spaced 1-2 feet apart.There is some confusion about the different kinds of tulsi and even mystery surrounding the origin of this temperate variety. Tropical holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum = O. sanctum) is native to Asia and often cultivated in India and can be perennial in warm regions. Temperate tulsi (Ocimum africanum) was apparently introduced to the US seed trade by Abundant Life Seed of Port Townsend, WA and then subsequently stewarded by the great Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seeds. It contains the same healthful adaptogens as the true O. sanctum type. Seeds are easy to save but plants should be isolated from other “basils” like lemon or chocolate basil to prevent cross-pollination. Seeds produced in Morgantown, WV. Germination 43% 12-11-2023. ~300 seeds