![Branded Containers and POP: Pesto Besto™ - Sweet Italian Basil - Ocimum hybrid [nid:423864]](https://www.provenwinners.com/sites/provenwinners.com/files/imagecache/500x500/ifa_upload/pesto_besto_fb.jpg)
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Pesto Besto is the healthiest basil plant i have ever been able to grow in South Carolina, grown from seeds and will definitely purchase again .
Pesto Besto™ Sweet Italian Basil Ocimum basilicum
Exposure
- Sun
Flower Season
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Mature Size
Height: 18" - 2'6"
Spread: 12" - 2'
Height: 46cm - 76cm
Spread: 30cm - 61cm
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18 - 30 Inches12 - 18 Inches12 - 24 Inches46cm - 76cm30cm - 46cm30cm - 61cm
Features
The best sweet Italian basil grown from seed! Strongly resistant to downy mildew, it grows vigorously and produces a high yield of deliciously aromatic, usable leaves. The more you harvest, the more tender new growth you will have to harvest. A delicious basil for eating fresh, making pesto or cooking.
Award WinnerFragrant FoliageDisease ResistantFoliage InterestHeat TolerantCharacteristics
Plant Type:AnnualHeight Category:MediumGarden Height:18 - 30 Inches 46cm - 76cmSpacing:12 - 18 Inches 30cm - 46cmSpread:12 - 24 Inches 30cm - 61cmFoliage Colors:GreenFoliage Shade:GreenHabit:UprightContainer Role:ThrillerPlant Needs
Light Requirement:SunThe optimum amount of sun or shade each plant needs to thrive: Full Sun (6+ hours), Part Sun (4-6 hours), Full Shade (up to 4 hours).
Maintenance Category:EasyBloom Time:Grown for FoliageHardiness Zones:10a, 10b, 11a, 11bWater Category:AverageSoil Fertility Requirement:Average SoilUses:Border PlantUses:ContainerUses:Edible HerbUses:Good for PreservingUses:LandscapeUses Notes:Oh, the flavor of sweet Italian basil! It took years to create this amazingly aromatic, easy-to-grow Italian sweet basil plant that’s about to become the star of your herb garden. Its incredible vigor and resistance to downy mildew means you will have plenty to harvest for fresh pasta dishes, bruschetta and more all summer long. Expect each sweet Italian basil plant to reach 18-30” tall and spread up to 2’ before flowering.
Maintenance Notes:Harvest sprays of leaves by cutting stems just above two new sprouting lateral branches to get lush regrowth. One of the most common disease issues in basil is downy mildew, but the good news is, this basil is a downy mildew resistant basil and has little to no seed set. If it does happen to produce a few flowers, pinch them off and it will continue to produce leaves to use in your kitchen.
Pesto Besto basil plants will reach full size in about 4-6 weeks after transplanting them from a 4” container into the landscape or a larger pot. Your location and temperatures can impact how quickly the plant grows for you. In any case, you should be able to start harvesting from your plant pretty regularly within a few weeks after transplanting to your garden or patio planter. Pesto Besto basil is usually late to flower, but flowers may sporadically appear. The flowers can easily be pinched off. You’ll be making pesto to your hearts content in no time with this perfect basil for pesto.
Pesto Besto basil can also be grown from seed.
Start indoors 6 weeks before the last frost, then transplant outdoors once temperatures consistently remain above 65°. To maximize germination ,keep the soil moist at 70°F to stimulate sprouting.
Basics:
- Days to Germinate – 5-10 days
- Transplant to Harvest – 40-50 days
- Planting Depth – 1/4”
- Plant Spacing After Thinning – 12”
- Row Spacing – 24”
- Exposure – Full sun (6+ hours)
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534321Browse reviews from people who have grown this plant.
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James S Dunkerley, South Carolina, United States, 48 weeks ago
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I am so glad that Proven Winners has this plant to sell online for 2024. I bought this plant in 2022 online from PW and I was amazed at the size and bushiness of the plant. The taste was fresh and strong, a great addition to any salad or dish. I also made pesto to have for twice a month for a year, all from just one plant. Forward to 2023 and big disappointment on my initial yearly order, and Pesto Besto was not sold online, only offering in seed form, which I didn't want. I bought the Amazel Basil, that turned out to be also great, very similar to the other, but not as bushy. When it came time to plant the Amazel Basil in the same pot I had used for the Pesto Besto, but with new dirt, I notice that in the old pot with the old dirt there was a tiny leaf about 1/8 of an inch sprouting up. I picked it up, thinking it was a weed, but something made me smell it, and lo and behold it was a miniature old Pesto Besto plant. It was so small that I didn't think anything would grow, but this seedling plant that you could hardly see, grew to full size, even bigger than the Amazel Basil that was growing on a different pot side by side! Somebody should write an ode, to this plant, since it's amazing! Thank you PW for having it available for 2024. BTW, the flowers at the end, I leave for the pollinators. They love it. I don't clean my pots until the spring, so I'll be extra careful, looking at any seedlings that resembled weed, to not be thrown out.
Lillian E. Davids, North Carolina, United States, 2 years ago -
This grew very well in my vertical Greenstalk garden. Great flavor and it didn't go to seed like other basils I've grown. Will definitely make this part of my garden each year. It might also be fun to grow indoors this winter!
Shelly Coleman, Washington, United States, 4 years ago
Award Year Award Plant Trial 2021 Top Performer University of Guelph -
