Customer Service Hours
Mon-Fri 8-4 MST
Features
Family
Laminaceae
Native
Probably Africa, but in cultivation for so long that it cannot be verified.
Life Cycle
Annual
Plant Height
Medium (12" - 24")
Further Information
Plant Characteristics
Good for Containers
Growing Conditions
Frost Sensitive
About Italian Genovese Basil Seeds
Ocimum basilicum
Large, dark green almond-shaped leaves. This is the true Italian pesto basil from the Genoa area of Italy, pesto capital of the world.
Planting Basil
Plant Spacing
A group of 2 seeds every 12"
Light Required
Full sun to part shade
Plant Height
Medium (12" - 24")
Planting Depth
¼"
Planting Details
| Row Spacing | 12" |
|---|---|
| Seed Depth | ¼" |
| Seed Spacing | A group of 2 seeds every 12" |
| Thinning | When 2" tall, thin to 1 every 12" |
| Germination | 5 – 10 Days |
| Start Indoors | RECOMMENDED. 4 to 6 weeks before transplanting outside. Transplant when your nighttime temperatures are above 50°F. |
| Direct Sow | 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is at least 60°F, ideally 65°–85°F. Successive Sowings: We recommend 3 or 4 successive sowings every 3 weeks after initial sowing. |
| Growing & Harvesting | Basil flavor is best before the plant flowers. Harvest up to 1/3 of the plant at a time, leaving enough for the plant to be healthy and keep producing. Harvest prior to a frost; basil is very frost sensitive. |
Find Your Frost Date & Grow Zone
Average First Frost Date
October 19
Average Last Frost Date
May 19
Your Hardiness Zone is
5b
Send Your Recommendation
Total 5 star reviews: 49 Total 4 star reviews: 1 Total 3 star reviews: 1 Total 2 star reviews: 1 Total 1 star reviews: 5
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Rating
Which best describes you as a gardener?
57 reviews
- DonnaRated 5 out of 5 stars5/13/265 Stars
Ive had great success with gardening!
- Henry A.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars5/4/26B I’s are the best!
We like a lot of Asian & Italian recipes that are basil forward and B I’s are the best we’ve found. They have excellent flavor and they produce more leaf weight for cooking, freezing and drying yet still retaining marvelous flavor.
Which best describes you as a gardener? IntermediateBIBotanical Interests5/4/26Hey Henry,
We love to hear that our Italian Genovese Basil Seeds are your go-to for all those amazing Asian and Italian dishes! We love that you're getting such great leaf production and that the flavor holds up beautifully whether you're using them fresh, freezing, or drying them! Thanks for sharing how much you enjoy cooking with them and making them part of your culinary adventures! Keep on growing 🌻️
- Josie J.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars5/1/26Good
I will say these require a bit more care in my area but still very good germination rate.
Which best describes you as a gardener? IntermediateBIBotanical Interests5/6/26Hey Josie,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts in a review! I'm thrilled to hear that the Italian Genovese Basil Seeds had such a good germination rate for you. I completely understand that different growing conditions can require some extra attention - basil can definitely be a bit particular depending on your climate and growing zone.
Your feedback about the care requirements in your area is really valuable and will help other gardeners who might be dealing with similar conditions. It's great to know that even with the extra care needed, you still achieved excellent results!
Thank you once again for your input. Keep on growing 🌻️
- STEPHEN M.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars4/20/26We buy these seeds from you every year !!
They grow like weeds ... tonnage of production. Cannot imagine how much basil we will have in a few weeks !! Cannot wait to shred a little basil on some fresh tomato's !
In a few weeks or so we will be giving this stuff away ..... our friends love it !
Which best describes you as a gardener? IntermediateBIBotanical Interests5/3/26Hey Stephen,
We love to hear you're a loyal Italian Genovese Basil customer and that these seeds are growing like weeds for you! There's nothing quite like fresh basil on homegrown tomatoes - that combination is pure garden perfection! We love that you'll have so much basil you'll be sharing the bounty with friends - that's the best kind of problem to have! Your friends are so lucky to get fresh Genovese basil from your garden. Thank you for being such a dedicated customer year after year! Keep on growing 🌻️
- DanielaVerified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars4/13/26Botanical Interests seeds are winners!
Love Botanical Interests seeds! These Genovese basil seeds were planted on April 4th, this picture was taken on April. 10th! 100% germination rate on this batch. They are under a grow light, 14 hours of light a day.
Also, I couldn’t be happier with their costumer service! My seeds were sent to the my old address, the post office didn’t reroute the package, but Botanical Interests contacted me and resend them to my new place.
My go-to seed company!
Which best describes you as a gardener? IntermediateBIBotanical Interests4/14/26Hey Daniela,
We're absolutely thrilled to hear your Italian Genovese Basil Seeds had such amazing 100% germination in just 6 days! That's incredible growth under your grow light setup. These aromatic beauties are going to give you the most flavorful pesto and Italian dishes all season long!
We're also so happy our customer service team could help get those seeds to your new address when the post office didn't reroute them. That's what we're here for! It means the world to us that you consider us your go-to seed company. Keep on growing 🌻️