{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "record_type": "plant",
  "slug": "basil",
  "common_name": "Basil",
  "botanical_name": "Ocimum basilicum",
  "family": "Lamiaceae",
  "summary": "Basil is a tender aromatic herb that produces repeated shoot harvests when given warmth, strong light, steady moisture and regular pinching above leaf pairs.",
  "categories": [
    "culinary herb",
    "warm-season crop",
    "container crop"
  ],
  "growth_habits": [
    "bushy",
    "upright"
  ],
  "lifecycle": "Tender annual",
  "difficulty": "Easy",
  "requirements": {
    "light": {
      "minimum_direct_sun_hours": 6,
      "preferred_direct_sun_hours": 8
    },
    "soil_ph": {
      "minimum": 6.0,
      "maximum": 7.5
    },
    "container": {
      "minimum_volume_litres": 5,
      "minimum_diameter_cm": 20,
      "plants_per_container": 1
    },
    "spacing": {
      "minimum_cm": 15,
      "maximum_cm": 30
    },
    "planting_out": {
      "minimum_reliable_temperature_c": 12,
      "frost_tolerant": false,
      "label": "Plant out",
      "note": "Wait until frost risk has passed and nights are reliably mild"
    },
    "harvest": {
      "typical_uk_months": [
        "June",
        "September"
      ]
    }
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "rhs-growing-basil",
      "publisher": "Royal Horticultural Society",
      "url": "https://www.rhs.org.uk/herbs/basil/grow-your-own?type=h",
      "supports": [
        "types",
        "warmth",
        "containers",
        "spacing",
        "watering",
        "harvest"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "penn-state-basil-summer",
      "publisher": "Penn State Extension",
      "url": "https://extension.psu.edu/basil-a-summer-favorite",
      "supports": [
        "sowing",
        "warm_season",
        "culinary_use"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "umn-growing-herbs",
      "publisher": "University of Minnesota Extension",
      "url": "https://extension.umn.edu/gardening-minnesota/growing-herbs",
      "supports": [
        "light",
        "soil_ph",
        "containers",
        "feeding",
        "harvest"
      ]
    }
  ]
}