1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

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PLANT PROFILE | Basil 16 | Good Organic Gardening
Basil | PLANT PROFILE All hail King Basil The king of herbs is the stuff of legend as well as the magic ingredient in everything from pasta to curries and stirfries Shutterstock, Choking Sun CC Words Chris Stafford If ever a plant were poised between heaven and hell, it would be Ocimum basilicum, otherwise known as basil. In India and Haiti, the herb is used to ward off evil. In parts of Mexico, it supposedly attracts good fortune. Some ancients believed it opened the gates of paradise for the dying, while others saw it as a symbol of the Devil. The Romans were convinced that if you chopped it up and put it under a rock, a scorpion would be born. A royal plant or a symbol of poverty, a poison or a panacea — whatever the legend, basil is believed to be native to India, where it’s considered sacred and has been used ceremonially and medicinally for 5000 years. In fact, in courts of law under British rule, Hindus were allowed to swear on holy basil (O. tenuiflorum) instead of the Bible. The word we use for the herb almost certainly comes from the Greek basileus, meaning “king”. Related words are basilica (originally a royal doorway; later, a church) and basilisk, a mythical evil serpent that had a crown-shaped mark on its head. The sacred Thai basil and the profane, again. Even today, basil is known as the king of herbs — in French, l’herbe royale. Mind you, the French once used the expression semer le basilic (“to sow basil”) to denote ranting and raving. This could have its origins in the ancient Roman belief that the herb should be planted to the accompaniment of loud oaths. “There is no seed more prolific than that of ocimum,” wrote Pliny the Elder. “It is generally recommended to sow it with the utterance of curses and imprecations, the result being that it grows all the better for it.” Basil may be a sturdy plant, but this is probably not the planting method we’d recommend. Growing Basil, a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), is a herbaceous plant, usually an annual, with a prolific growth of bright green leaves — sometimes purple — and a sweetly pungent, aniseed or clovelike fragrance. The herb is frost tender, so it grows best in summer and throughout the year in warmer The French once used the expression semer le basilic (“to sow basil”) to denote ranting and raving. This could have its origins in the ancient Roman belief that the herb should be planted to the accompaniment of loud oaths. parts of Australia, preferably in light, dry soil and full sun, or at least six hours of sunlight a day. It produces spikes of white, pink or mauve flowers that need to be pinched off so the leaves keep producing oils. The plant grows from 30–130cm tall and can be propagated via seed or cuttings. Some varieties Annuals ‘Sweet Basil’ (O. basilicum) is the most familiar of basil’s 160-odd varieties. The perfect complement to tomatoes, it’s an essential in the cuisine of Italy, where it’s said that a dish without basil leaves is “like a beautiful woman without a soul”. There are several Italian varieties, but ‘Basilico Genovese’ is the large-leaved cultivar used for genoese pesto, the classic pasta sauce of basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and cheese. There are also purple-leaved varieties such as ‘Purpureum’ and ‘Purple Ruffles’. ‘Thai basil’ (O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora) is the variety used in Southeast Asian dishes Good Organic Gardening | 17
Page 1: grow naturally, eat fresh, live sus
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS 8 22 40 Things to Do Heat
Page 7 and 8: Veggies picked ripe from your own g
Page 9 and 10: Australia’s largest and very best
Page 11 and 12: With Melissa King | THE SEASONAL GA
Page 14 and 15: CLEVER CROP | Dragon fruit Pretty i
Page 18 and 19: PLANT PROFILE | Basil Small-leaf Gr
Page 20 and 21: A plant with attitude Stinging nett
Page 22 and 23: FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Strawberries Alp
Page 24 and 25: FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | STRAWBERRIES Abo
Page 26 and 27: GARDENING FOLK | Farouk & Magda Kha
Page 28 and 29: GARDENING FOLK | Farouk & Magda Kha
Page 30 and 31: GARDENING FOLK | Danny Summers Dann
Page 32 and 33: GARDENING FOLK | Danny Summers Nati
Page 34 and 35: GARDENING FOLK | Sandra & Mick Nank
Page 36 and 37: GARDENING FOLK | Sandra & Mick Nank
Page 38 and 39: TIME TO PLANT | Lettuce Lettuce Lac
Page 40 and 41: GARDEN DIARY | Mid-summer Things to
Page 42 and 43: GARDEN DIARY | Late summer Things t
Page 44 and 45: Earthy Tips | SHORT SHOOTS 10 Top T
Page 46 and 47: WEEKEND GARDENING | Kids in the gar
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Page 50 and 51: GARDENING CHALLENGE | Growing truff
Page 52 and 53: GARDENING CHALLENGE | Growing truff
Page 54 and 55: PLANT HEALTH | Disease distress Man
Page 56 and 57: PLANT HEALTH | Disease distress Soo
Page 58 and 59: SAFER SOLUTIONS | Dipel Rose budwor
Page 60 and 61: SAFER SOLUTIONS | Dipel Green loope
Page 62: THE SHED | Making BIM The cultured
Page 65 and 66: THE SHED | Making BIM Bury in at le
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FEATHERED FRIENDS | Bantam ducks Bu
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FEATHERED FRIENDS | Bantam ducks A
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GARDEN TO TABLE | Four Seasonal Edi
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GROWING | Passionfruit Passionfruit
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COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Passi
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GROWING | Parsnip Parsnip Pastinaca
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COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Parsn
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GROWING | Beetroot Beetroot Beta vu
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COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Beetr
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GROWING | Sweet corn Sweet corn Zey
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COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Sweet
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PRESERVING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | SW
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Wild Olive Chardonnay — perfect f
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PICK OF THE CROP Yates Nature’s W
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WHAT’S ON A tiny sample of events
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Artichoke Heart. DIGITAL HEAD. Get
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WHAT’S GROWING ON IN 2016? BONUS
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SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH INSPIRATIO
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1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

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