Thai Lemon Basil
Ocinum x africanum
Thai lemon basil or hoary basil, is a fragrant herb with a citrusy lemon scent. It's a hybrid of basil and American basil, native to Asia and belonging to the mint family. Lemon basil is a key ingredient in many Southeast Asian dishes and is used as a fresh garnish. It can be used fresh or dried in soups, with chicken or fish, vegetables, or in herb vinegars and is very popular in Thai and Loatian cooking.
Harvest the plant once per week to encourage side shoots that will develop the plant into a bushy shape. When harvesting, the plant should never be completely defoliated, but always keep tips pruned back and don't allow the basil to flower during production or the flavor will change.
When planting, space plants at 18" to allow room for growth. Plants like to be well watered, but with good drainage, and allow the surface of the soil to dry in between waterings. Keeping plants fed with compost or general fertilizer to support growth and good flavor.
Seeds grown on Molokai
45 seeds per packet
Photo credit: By Kembangraps - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2753348