Cross pollination only affects seed; the original plants will not change. Since we usually eat the leaves of basil, it will have no effect from cross pollination. However, basil is so pungent that there might be some flavor exchange if you serve them together.

Ciao all- highalttransplant, of course I remember you. When you say that you have "2 plants", is that 2 tiny basil seeds that came up so 2 stems or is it how I grow basil meaning 2 bushes of several individual stems? Mrs. Burn's Lemon gets huge when planted the bushy way and I always end up with way too much to use for all the things I put it in. That's how I can do batches of jelly and vinegars with it. If it's the former and you only have 2 stems, what you can do is divide the infusion part of the recipe for the amount of basil that you harvest and freeze the infusions until you have enough. The leaves won't keep for more than a couple days in the fridge, but once you've made the infusion, that will freeze nicely and you can thaw your batches and combine them. dancinglemons, you're most welcome, but again I'm sorry for being offline for so long. At this time of year, it can be a challenge to do much work on the computer. The garden is very demanding and even moreso as the season progresses. Right now, we're in a persistant heat wave so apart from watering, there's not much I can do out there past 8am. It was hot last night even after the sun went down. Note to Zabby-the brassicas are finally on their way out. Several kale plants have a nasty case of head rot, so I pulled 6 of them this morning and used what I could of the good leaves. I admit, I was wondering when they were heading for Brassica Heaven..this is easily the longest I've ever had good-looking non-bolting brassicas in the garden. From what I read, head rot is caused by high heat/humidity and not enough air flow between plants. My plants are the recommended 8" apart, but when you were here, you saw how big those leaves get. The middle bed is fine, though with no signs of head rot so far. We shall see. How are your plants doing?

Shola, I agree with the others. I don't have a clue as to how these little plants are to be used. They are too etiolated to be used as a plant.....those stems will never stand up on their own. And their usefulness as a culinary ingredient is practically nil. What is that store owner thinking? Do you know how these are going to be marketed? Anyway, you'll need a good soilless potting medium, without the moisture crystals in it. Seed each pot pretty heavily, as overcrowding is the key to those poor quality seedlings. If you look at those pots, each is crammed with individual seedlings. Place the pots in your flats and put them on heat mats until they are germinated....then pull the plug on the mats. The greenhouse should be kept coolish, around 60ð F. If too warm those crowded plants will die in about two days. IT'S THE CROWDING THAT WILL MAKE THE SEEDLINGS TALL AND SLENDER but still rather sturdy. You also need good light, very lightly shaded direct sun. Or, if growing under lights, a good bank of plant lights suspended low and raised periodically as the plants grow up up up for light. Fertilize, but sparingly. I'll repeat my concern about the owner's intent. Have you shown him/her what a normal, healthy herb plant should look like? Let me know if you have any questions. I've coached a couple of professional herb farm growers through the transition of field growing to container culture.

Basil is a tough one to grow but I've had basil growing in my house for several years now. Yes, years. Basil loves a lot of water. My plants are all in old fashioned clay pots with deep clay dishes to catch excess water. They are placed on a bathroom tile with rubber stickers on the bottom to prevent water stains on furniture. I do use Miracle Gro, every other watering and pinch off any flowers that bloom. Pinching off is also a great way to help plants survive. Basil does have a tendency to attract all the wrong bugs and fungus you can imagine. So, I would suggest that you grow your basil either in a green house or as a house plant. However, I'm sure those of you who live in better climates can grow basil outside. I'd still use a clay pot with clay saucer and remember to water constantly.