The Award Winning Herb You'll Want To Add To Your Kitchen Garden

Many of us live in small apartments or homes with little outside space, and this means kitchen herb gardens can really help us out. By maintaining an indoor garden on our kitchen windowsill or counter, we can grow fresh herbs to use in our cooking. However, when starting a kitchen herb garden, it is essential to pick the best plants to grow. Certain herbs, such as dill or lemon balm, may be too big to grow inside or may prefer the constant sunlight they receive when growing outside. Thankfully, some herbs and cultivars suit a kitchen garden because of their growth habits and needs. One of these herbs is the award-winning basil Treviso (Ocimum basilicum 'Treviso').

This basil variety won a 2026 All-America Selections award for edible vegetables because of its toughness, growth habit, and taste. Its compact size makes it perfect for kitchen gardens, and its aroma and flavor stand out amongst other basil varieties. It is also a herb that will last, with its flavor and tenderness staying strong for longer. It is slow to flower, meaning that you will be able to harvest the fresh basil for months. For gardeners who have experienced downy mildew on basil, you have nothing to worry about with this variety. Basil Treviso is resistant to both downy mildew and powdery mildew, making it a tough little herb suitable for beginner and expert growers. 

You can grow herbs indoors year-round, as long as their light and temperature needs are met. To grow basil Treviso indoors from seed, sow a pinch of seeds in a pot filled with potting mix. Sometimes, seeds will not germinate, or they may produce weak seedlings, so it's always best to sow one or two more seeds than you need. Ensure that the temperature is kept at 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the soil kept moist, and you should see your basil seeds germinating after about a week. 

Once the seeds start to look overgrown, thin them out and select strong ones to pot up for your kitchen herb garden. Basil Treviso plants need spacing of around 12 inches, so plant each seedling in a container that size. Your basil plant will need at least six to eight hours of sun a day. A sunny windowsill can be a great place to put it. If you are growing your basil Treviso in the winter, consider using grow lights to keep it healthy. The temperature should be kept at around 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, so if you do place your herbs on a windowsill, be sure to avoid drafts or chills. By keeping the light and temperature right, you can grow your basil to ensure a bountiful harvest for a long season. It will take around 90 days from sowing your basil Treviso to harvest. Pinch off the top leaves to encourage more growth and enjoy your fresh herbs!