Basil Everleaf Genovese | Ocimum basilicum | Compact & Slow-Bolting

Everleaf Genovese is a compact and highly productive Genovese basil developed for a long season of repeated harvesting. Its dense, well-branched habit, short internodes and abundant glossy green leaves make it an excellent choice for pots, containers and garden beds.

One of its most valuable features is its exceptionally late flowering habit – Everleaf Genovese flowers up to 8 weeks later than standard basil varieties. This means the plant remains focused on producing fresh, aromatic leaves for longer, extending the harvest season.

With its classic Genovese basil aroma and robust flavour, it is an excellent culinary variety for pesto, pasta, tomato dishes, sauces, pizza and fresh salads.

Plant Information

• Scientific Name: Ocimum basilicum
• Common Name: Basil
• Variety: Everleaf Genovese
• Herb Type: Genovese Basil
• Life Cycle: Annual
• Flavour: Classic, robust Genovese basil flavour
• Leaf Colour: Medium green
• Leaves: Glossy, slightly cupped
• Plant Habit: Compact, dense & highly branched
• Height: approx. 46–61 cm
• Width: approx. 30–46 cm
• Spacing: approx. 15–46 cm
• Exposure: Full Sun
• Seed Form: Raw Seed
• Days to Maturity – From Transplant: approx. 30–45 days
• Best For: Fresh leaves, repeated harvesting, pots, containers & garden beds
• Disease Resistance: Intermediate resistance to downy mildew; resistance to Fusarium

Classic Genovese Basil Flavour

Everleaf Genovese offers the traditional aroma and rich flavour expected from a classic Genovese basil.

Its robust flavour holds up particularly well in cooking, making the leaves excellent for:

• Homemade pesto
• Pasta dishes
• Tomato sauces
• Pizza
• Caprese salad
• Fresh salads
• Soups and sauces
• Mediterranean dishes

The leaves can be used fresh or added towards the end of cooking to preserve as much of their fresh basil aroma as possible.

Flowers Up to 8 Weeks Later

One of the biggest advantages of Everleaf Genovese is its slow-bolting, late-flowering habit.

It can flower up to 8 weeks later than standard basil varieties, allowing the plant to remain productive for considerably longer.

For the gardener, this means:

• Longer harvest season
• More usable fresh leaves
• Less frequent removal of flower buds
• Excellent for repeated harvesting
• Plants remain productive for longer
• High leaf yield from a relatively compact plant

This makes Everleaf Genovese especially useful when basil is grown primarily for its leaves.

Compact, Dense & Highly Productive

Unlike the taller Everleaf Emerald Towers, Everleaf Genovese develops a more compact and bushy plant, reaching approximately 46–61 cm in height and 30–46 cm in width.

The plant has short internodes, meaning the spaces between leaves and branches are relatively short. This creates a dense plant with plenty of leaves and growing tips.

Despite its compact size, it has excellent harvest potential.

Its dense growth makes it particularly suitable for leaf and tip harvesting rather than harvesting whole stems for bunches.

Excellent Basil for Pots

Everleaf Genovese is particularly well suited to container growing because it remains compact while producing an impressive quantity of leaves.

It can be grown:

• In garden beds
• In raised beds
• In greenhouses
• In pots and containers
• On sunny balconies and terraces
• In kitchen herb gardens

For container production, approximately 2–5 seeds can be sown in a 10 cm pot for a full, attractive basil plant.

Sowing & Germination

Everleaf Genovese can be started indoors for transplanting or direct sown once temperatures are sufficiently warm.

Sow into fine, moist seed-starting compost and cover the seeds lightly.

• Seed Form: Raw Seed
• Seeds per Cell: 1–3
• Cover Seed: Yes, lightly
• Germination Temperature: approx. 20–23°C
• Germination: approx. 2–4 days
• Plug Crop Time: approx. 4–5 weeks

Keep the growing medium evenly moist during germination without allowing it to become waterlogged.

Basil is a warm-season herb and should not be planted outside until the risk of frost has passed and temperatures are consistently warm.

Growing & Harvesting

Choose a warm, sunny position with fertile, well-drained soil. Regular watering and feeding will help maintain vigorous leaf production throughout the growing season.

Regular cutting encourages the plant to branch and produce even more fresh leaves.

For the best results, cut shoots just above a pair of leaves rather than removing only individual leaves. New side shoots will develop below the cut, creating an increasingly dense and productive plant.

This allows multiple harvests from the same plant throughout the season.

When Can I Start Harvesting?

Everleaf Genovese reaches harvest maturity approximately:

30–45 days after transplanting.

You do not need to wait until the plant reaches its full height. Once the young plant is well established and has developed several healthy pairs of leaves, light harvesting can begin.

Regular harvesting will encourage continued branching and fresh leaf production.

Why Choose Everleaf Genovese?

• Classic Genovese basil flavour
• Compact and highly productive
• Flowers up to 8 weeks later than standard basil
• Slow-bolting variety
• Excellent for a long harvest season
• Ideal for repeated leaf and tip harvesting
• Dense, highly branched growth
• Short internodes
• Abundant glossy green leaves
• Height only about 46–61 cm
• Excellent for pots and containers
• Suitable for garden beds and raised beds
• Excellent for pesto and Italian cuisine
• Intermediate resistance to downy mildew
• Resistance to Fusarium
• Annual and easy to grow in warm, sunny conditions

Everleaf Genovese is an excellent choice for gardeners who want the traditional flavour of Genovese basil in a compact, exceptionally productive plant. Its dense branching, slow-bolting habit and late flowering provide a long season of repeated harvests of fresh, aromatic basil leaves.

Everleaf Genovese vs. Emerald Towers

Everleaf Genovese is more compact and bushy, growing approximately 46–61 cm tall and 30–46 cm wide, while Emerald Towers has a taller, narrower, more columnar habit, reaching 61–91 cm tall and 20–30 cm wide. Everleaf Genovese flowers up to 8 weeks later than standard basil, while Emerald Towers can flower 10–12 weeks later. Both offer the classic Genovese basil flavour, but their different growth habits make them suitable for different growing spaces.