Growing Lettuce Leaf Basil at Home (Ocimum basilicum) — My 2025 Experience

Growing Lettuce Leaf Basil at Home (Ocimum basilicum) — My 2025 Experience

If you're curious about growing lettuce leaf basil (also known as Ocimum basilicum, lettuce leaf basil, or 양상추 바질 in Korean), here’s a complete timeline of my personal journey — from seed to (unfortunately) final goodbye. 😅 

1. Basil Profile

• Seed Name: Lettuce Leaf Basil
• Scientific Name: Ocimum basilicum
• Korean Market Names: 레티스리프, 양상추, 상추잎바질
• Supplier: Hanmi Seed (Imported variety)
• Seed Registration No.: 04-0300-2016-1
• Manufacture Date: Dec 2024
• Purchase & Sowing Date: Jan 2025

2. Germination & Early Growth 🌱

I sowed the seeds in seedling mix on January 25th, 2025, and placed them under LED grow lights (left tray in the photo).

By March 1st (Day 40), the cotyledons looked like typical basil leaves, but the true leaves began to show the distinctive lettuce-like texture.

3. Transplanting & Mid-Growth

As roots filled the tray, I repotted the seedlings into larger containers. Over the next few weeks, they continued growing steadily — though the camera quality doesn’t do justice (photo taken on April 11th).

4. Flower Stalks and… Trouble 🌸🪲

By early May, flower stalks emerged. But then disaster struck — a thrips outbreak!

Combined with inconsistent watering (my plant was hidden behind a shelf…), the basil dried out and sadly died. The final photos were taken around May 8th.

5. Key Lessons Learned

• Basil, especially herbs, attract pests easily. Pre-treating with organic pesticide is strongly recommended.
• Daily visibility matters. If you can’t see it, you won’t remember to water it.
• I now have a “thrips jungle” basil zone… clearing them out one by one.

6. Basil Types I’ve Grown (and What I’d Grow Again)

From experience with 20+ varieties, here are the basil categories:

Type	Examples	My Thoughts
Wide-leaf green	Sweet basil, lettuce leaf	Beautiful but pest-prone
Purple leaf	Opal basil	Unique but high maintenance
Scented	Lemon, Cinnamon basil	⭐️ Would grow again!
Compact/Greek-type	Greek basil	Decorative and hardy

If I were to start over, I’d definitely try lemon basil again — the fragrance is just like fresh citrus 🍋.

Final Thoughts

There’s something so special about growing your own basil. But organic farming at home? Definitely not as easy as it sounds!

I’ll be back with more updates as I continue my herb-growing journey 🌿