Lime Basil

If you like the clean, citrus zing of Lemon Basil, then you'll definitely want to try this rare and hard-to-find Lime Basil! Its tangy lime flavor and fragrance is strong and finishes with a pleasing spicy-herbal bite. Use it to impart a unique gourmet flavor to fish and chicken dishes, vinegars, dressings, sauces, and herb oils. Add it to fruit salsas or chutneys as a fresh accompaniment to broiled or grilled fish or shellfish, or use it in traditional Thai dishes when Lemongrass or Kaffir Lime isn't readily available. You'll be amazed by the complex flavor it lends to desserts and herb teas!

Forming compact, mounding plants with small bright green lance-shaped leaves, Lime Basil is a snappy addition to mixed borders, and its 12- to 24-inch height is a perfect size for containers. Try growing it along garden paths so that contact with passing foot traffic will release its zesty aroma, especially on warm summer days. Just one brush of the leaves releases an invigorating lime scent that will permeate an entire room in seconds!

Sow seeds outdoors 1 to 2 weeks after last spring frost, or begin indoors 6 to 8 weeks before transplant date. It germinates in 5 to 15 days. Thin when seedlings are 2 inches tall. Pinch the central stem of the plant back several times during growth to encourage the production of side shoots. Pick in 60 to 70 days for a mature harvest, or enjoy baby leaves in zesty salads in as little as 30 days. Lean soils in a sunny location will produce more flavorful oils, but it will tolerate partial sun. Be sure to grow some on a sunny indoor windowsill for fresh herbs just steps away from your cooking. It's also a bit more heat tolerant than Sweet Basil, a plus for gardens in the South. It produces small terminal racemes of white flowers, but you'll want to keep them pinched back to promote dense, bushy growth and focus the plant's energy on producing aromatic oil instead of flower production. Pkt is 100 seeds.