Basil Dark Opal is an organically grown basil variety. It has very unusual, large, shiny and very delicious flavoured dark purple till green leaves. This basil is also very decorative in the garden and flower borders. Basil combines very well with tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, garlic, meat, fisch and cheese.
Basil Dark Opal is also delicious in vinaigrettes, pickled in vinegar and in oil. Basil looses a lot of flavour during cooking, so don't cook it too long. You can add basil fresh and sliced to heated dishes after cooking. Use basil cold in pesto, salads and in salad Caprese. Add basil to pastasauces, soups, marinade, omelettes and on pizza's after cooking. Non hardy annual.
Indoor sowing: from April
Outdoor sowing: from May
Germination: 7 - 21 days
Germination temp.: 18 - 22 °C
Sowing depth: 2 - 3 mm
Plant distance: 20 - 25 cm
Plant position: sunny and sheltered (greenhouse)
Days till harvest: 60 - 70
Sow indoors from April on. Use seedtrays filled with moist potting soil. Sow shallow and thin. Press the seeds gently on to the soil, but don't cover them. Basil is a light germinator. Use a spray bottle to water the seeds, so you don't disturb them. Cover the trays with a lid to retain the moisture. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let the temperature drop during the night.
Remove the lid when the seedlings emerge. Transplant the seedlings, when they're large enough to handle, to seperate pots. Harden the seedlings of by putting them outdoors on a sunny place with shelter during the day for about 10 - 14 days, in the beginning of May. Plant them after this period on a very sunny and sheltered plot, from the middle of May, when there's no longer any danger of nightfrosts. Keep the plants 20 - 25 cm apart.
Sow outdoors from the middle of May, when there's no longer any danger of nights frosts. Sow on a sunny plot with shelter. Sow thinly and shallow and press the seeds gently on to the soil. Don't cover them, because basil is a light germinator. Thin the seedlings, when they're large enough to handle, to 20 - 25 cm. Water them during the germination and with drought. Never let basil dry completely out. Pick the leaves from the top of and keep picking to stimulate new growth. Basil needs a lot of light, warmth and water to grow. It needs at least 5 - 6 ours of light each day to thrive.
