Basil, Italian Mountain Sweet (Organic)
Ocimum basilicum.
A strain of Italian sweet basil that is more cool weather tolerant than other basil. As the name suggests, it is from the mountains of Northern Italy via the seed company Seeds Trust, formerly located in Montana. They report that Italian Mountain Sweet grows better than other basil varieties in Montana and we find it also is a great producer outdoors in Oregon. The sweet, rich flavor is similar to other Genovese types and is perfect for pesto and Caprese salad. Slow to bolt but not too slow to make seed. Prolific flowers that bees go crazy over.
Sow in flats indoors 6 – 8 wks before last frost. Cover seeds with 1/4” of potting mix. Germinates best when soil temp is at least 70˚F. Germination in 7-10 days, seedlings grow slowly at first. To avoid dampening off, do not over-water seedlings. Transplant to 8” spacing in all directions. Requires full sun & high fertility.
Seed Saving
Collect seeds from seed heads that are fully dry. Shell by hand, winnow or screen to clean. Some cross-pollination may occur, isolate from varieties of the same species by 1/4 mile.
Josh Hanney (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Oregon
We have grown tons of different types of basil. This one has the best flavour ever! We grew another large leaf variety and it bolted sooner and never had the flavor of this. Its August 18th in the Willamette valley and its still going! Only growing this one next year.
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