Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Also called Sweet basil
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitPinch the growing tips out weekly. Let it flower once and the leaves turn bitter for good.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Hard
- Water
- Every 2 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Full sun — six hours or more
- Feed
- Every 21 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 0.3 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- Tropical Asia
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsSafe for pets
PeopleNothing recorded against it
Safe to eat: leaves.
Checked against ASPCA, RHS and Johnny's Selected Seeds on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A seedling that had four leaves last night is a bare green stub this morning, with a dried silver track running over the compost beside it.Slugs and snails · pest
- The oldest, lowest leaves yellow in blocks fenced in by the veins, and turning one over shows a grey-violet felt on the underside directly beneath the yellow.Basil downy mildew · disease
- Green specks packed on the soft growing tip and the undersides of the newest pair of leaves, with a sticky shine on the leaf below them.Aphid · pest