Basil - Sweet Italiano Classico - 750 Seeds
$4.70Popular herb and an essential choice for any kitchen garden. With a mild aniseed flavour it can be used in all manner of dishes. Great in traditional Italian dishes, classic with tomatoes. To make fresh pesto, blend with pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and parmesan.
| How To Grow |
Sow thinly and cover lightly with fine soil. Firm gently and keep moist. Sow direct into sowing position or in pots. Likes rich, well drained soil and a warm, sheltered position. |
|---|---|
| When To Plant | Early Spring to late Summer, all year round in warm areas. |
| When to Sow/Plant | Spring, Summer |
| Soil Type |
compost, well drained |
Fresh Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
- 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic and cheese and pulse a few times more.
- Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
- Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.
Plant Size Guide
The plant in the photos is an example and an approximate guide only however we try to show an average sized example. Sizes, flowering state and colours change throughout the seasons and variation will occur. In summer & autumn, plants are often larger or the same size as than the example picture but around winter and spring, they can be a little smaller but still at a size similar to the example. We aim to update the pictures to reflect significant differences.
Plant Heights - because the plant's foliage must fit inside our Plant Cartons, the actual height of a plant's central trunk (meristem) will be shorter than the box it fits in.
Small Plants - 14cm wide nursery pot - 1 Litre volume - Plants fit in a 50cm tall box.
Medium Plants - 17cm wide pots either 2L hanging pot or 2.5L nursery pot - Plants fit in a 75cm tall box.
Large Plants - 25cm wide pot, 10L volume. Plants fit in a 100cm tall box.
XL Plants - Plants over 100cm tall in pot sizes specified, 25cm/10L or greater and are hand delivered within Auckland/Northland only.
Dispatch Times
Plant courier orders are processed Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday.
North Island orders are targeted overnight delivery, South Island orders are sent on a 2-day target but these are not a guaranteed delivery timeframe.
Add 1 extra day after a public holiday as well as for rural addresses or remote towns.
Monday - We send orders placed on previous Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.
Tuesday - We send Weekend orders from previous Saturday & Sunday.
Wednesday - We send orders placed from Monday & Tuesday.
XL Plants are delivered only within urban Auckland & Whangarei and this service is for non-urgent orders. This excludes satellite destinations such as Beachlands, Pukekohe, Piha, Helensville etc and Whangarei Heads. We may deliver at any time Sunday, Monday, Wednesday or Thursday in Auckland and you need to have a sheltered accessible position for us to deliver to.
Plants in Transit
Each Small, Medium & Large plant is individually contained within its own protective cardboard Plant Carton which may be joined to other cartons in your order.
Plants typically take just a day or two to arrive, however they are usually fine in their cartons for 1-2 weeks, and many can go longer, so a few extra days are not usually cause for concern.
Whether it takes 1 or 7 days, let your plant recover from its journey by placing in gentle light and adding a little water and it will be back to its best within a couple of days. Let us know if there are any major issues via the contact page.
