IME it is a fairly long shot because CT is so slow to germinate and requires consistent soil moisture until it does. Difficult to do that with direct seeding. You can start it yourself indoors and then plant the seedlings outside but if this is a heavy use area around the pavers I'd strongly suggest you consider something else as CT doesn't stand up well to traffic abuse. Consider one of the sedums or wintercreeper. Dave

I can't really answer your original question, but I've never been overly fond of the so called Sweet Genovese basil. To me it is very strong, overpowering. I'm much more fond of the Asian basils. You might want to try some if you find hte Genovese basil to be too strong as I do. This year, I grew 3 different Asian basils. Lettuce-Leaf Basil Queen of Siam Basil Lime Basil The Lettuce-Leaf Basil has large leaves, and looks a good bit like the Genovese basil, but has a very mild flavor. The Queen of Siam basil is stronger, but still milder than most of the Italian basils, and Lime Basil does not taste like basil at all. It reminds me of Lemon Balm. The Lettuce-Leaf has grown and produced the most by far. It germinated easier than the other 2 and has gone nuts.

hi Paul.. the above comment can be very true, however, if your living in a city and have no outdoor space, like me, then we grow on our window sill :) Actually what I do is place my basil on a small table just near a window. My Basil is from seeds planted in May and they are still growing in their small terra cotta pots.. just be sure that your pot drains well. And at least once a week(on the really nice days) I open the windows or take it out to my sun porch where my other herbs currently are. To help with your infestation, you may want to think about purchasing an insect killer spray. Or if you prefer organic you can always google how to make your own..there's a ton of websites that can give you instructions.. or stick with your current method if it seems to be working. Imho, I think you should re pot it in different soil. If you cannot get your finger an inch or so in then the soil may be too dense. You can buy just a little bag of good draining potting soil, or maybe you can ammend the soil you currently have with some sand and/or sphagnum moss. And go ahead and pinch those yellow leaves off. I wouldn't fertilize especially with it so late in the season. And make sure to freeze or dry some of your leaves before you've squeezed all the life of your plant that you can lol.. but I like to do this so that I can still enjoy the herb even in the cold cold months. But as I read over my advice I'm reminded that it is almost October so don't go and spend too much money and/or time as my indoor basil usually is a goner by the end of November. Good luck and remember "Nothing ventured, nothing gained!"

The basil is not quite as picky, but the peppers and tomato plants need space or they will stunt and delay growth, which can affect your harvest. Transplanting will not hurt them, leaving them two to three plants to a pod will harm them far worse. I tend to start potting mine up when they have 2 sets of true leaves. If you can't stand to thin them down to 1 per pod, you can try to tease them apart when you transplant, keeping in mind that you run the risk of breaking or fatally damaging the plants. But they really do need more space , ideally one plant per container. I use solo cups as my next size up from peat pods, just make sure to poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage. When you repot the tomato plants, you can bury the stem deep (gently break off the seed leaves and repot above where they were, maybe even higher) which encourages more root growth. Tomatoes like to be planted deep every time you replant them. You want thicker, stronger stems that can withstand wind, not leggy plants. Also make sure to take the mesh netting off the outside of the peat pods before you repot. Daylight is good, read a little about hardening off, but they will still need supplemental light indoors. The more the better up to 16 to 18 hours per day.