Illustration: Basil under the chamber's light

Illustrations: the crop under the chamber’s light, and how it arrives (packaging render).

Packaging render

Basil 2007

Pra' · Genoa, Liguria · Italy

The terraces above Genoa, in a bright, settled spring.

Our selection: ranked first of 35 seasons here, 1990–2024, on the recorded weather.

$28per 500 g bunch box · $38 after harvest

0% reserved · 300 of 300 leftPlants at 70% · closes 7 December 2026

Nothing is owed unless this lot reaches 70% reserved by 7 December 2026. If it doesn't, your reservation is released.

Basil from Pra', on the coast just west of Genoa, is the benchmark for Basilico Genovese. Spring 2007 brought twelve hours of sun a day and about 210 mm of rain across the season, shared top score with 2018 on our basil profile.

77
days replayed

15 Apr – 30 Jun

18.9°
mean temperature

9° to 30°

687
degree-days of heat

warmth accumulated

213 mm
rain

39 mm in the final weeks

12.2 h
sun a day

estimated from the reanalysis

6.1°
day–night swing

in the final weeks

47
mol/m² of light a day

calculated

What this weather does to the basil.

Five readings from the recorded season, each against the band the crop does best in (painted green on the dial). The meanings are what growers and agronomists expect of weather like this, not a tasting note.

Heat over the season · in balance

Heat in the range the crop does best in.

Day–night swing while ripening · ideal

Warm days and cool nights deepen colour, sugar and perfume.

Rain in the last 25 days · moderate

Some late rain, within what the crop tolerates.

Sunlight · brilliant

Plenty of light for colour and sweetness.

Days above 33° · none

No heat stress: the plant never shut down to protect itself.

The season, as it happened.

15 April 2007 to 30 June 2007, recorded daily at 44.43°, 8.79° (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo historical archive). Choose a chapter to mark it on the paper.

Point at the paper to read any day. Arrow keys step a day.

Air temperature, day high to night low · °C7–32
Rain, given as water at the roots · mm0–43
Daily light · mol/m² · calculated0–68
Peak UV · index · calculated0–10
Humidity · %60–95
Soil temperature, top 7 cm · °C13–24
Soil water · m³/m³0.27–0.44
MayJun

Burgundy ink: the recorded day. Blue: rain. The dashed line is where the chamber is today. Light and UV are calculated from the recorded sunshine.

The ground, and what stands in for it.

In Pra'
Narrow sandy terraces above the sea, warm and salt-aired.
In the chamber
Light and nitrogen-led for leaf, with a touch of sodium chloride in the mist for the sea air.
The ledger: every day and the chamber’s settings for it (77 days)
DayDateHigh °CLow °CRH %Rain mmSun hLight hDLIPPFDUVSoil °CSoil water→ Water L/m²→ Mist min
115 Apr24.312.2650.013.013.351.610806.617.333%4.5—
216 Apr24.012.3651.613.013.347.89996.417.733%5.83
317 Apr22.811.7670.013.013.450.210456.617.533%4—
418 Apr21.214.1700.013.013.452.310826.817.132%4—
519 Apr19.712.3760.011.413.532.46695.117.031%2.6—
620 Apr22.012.5780.013.013.542.18666.117.431%3.4—
721 Apr22.415.5750.013.013.646.69546.517.631%3.7—
822 Apr22.314.7823.613.013.640.38246.017.532%6.87
923 Apr22.813.8831.413.013.743.98936.318.034%4.93
1024 Apr22.714.0730.012.913.754.210997.218.033%4.4—
1125 Apr23.912.8703.513.013.745.79236.518.232%7.37
1226 Apr22.313.2761.013.013.841.58366.218.134%4.52
1327 Apr22.412.0680.413.213.851.410317.117.933%4.6—
1428 Apr23.211.6690.013.213.951.510297.118.032%4.2—
1529 Apr20.813.3730.013.313.951.710307.217.631%4—
1630 Apr20.213.6795.210.114.038.17576.017.332%8.210
171 May20.412.3838.310.414.036.07135.816.737%11.117
182 May17.312.48817.69.714.133.56625.615.540%19.935
193 May17.512.0772.09.814.132.86455.515.639%4.54
204 May15.612.09239.31.714.213.92723.314.542%26.160
215 May17.69.3848.811.514.235.76985.914.441%11.418
226 May21.010.2770.113.514.251.510057.416.240%4—
237 May23.912.2670.013.814.357.211137.917.339%4.7—
248 May22.313.8800.013.614.358.211288.018.037%4.4—
259 May22.613.8850.013.314.456.310887.819.036%4.2—
2610 May22.414.1860.013.814.456.510887.918.936%4.2—
2711 May19.915.7880.412.614.542.88226.718.535%3.4—
2812 May20.716.5880.111.414.544.48516.918.936%3.3—
2913 May21.116.5850.013.414.555.310587.919.435%4—
3014 May21.516.0870.012.814.645.18607.019.034%3.2—
3115 May20.315.5773.613.214.647.89097.218.835%7.37
3216 May20.09.9720.214.114.654.110277.817.035%4.3—
3317 May18.913.0840.010.714.741.37816.717.234%3.1—
3418 May23.312.6740.014.414.752.49897.718.433%4.3—
3519 May22.213.8710.014.414.758.310988.218.632%4.7—
3620 May25.213.4670.014.414.858.310968.319.331%4.9—
3721 May26.215.6730.014.014.858.210928.320.830%5—
3822 May28.420.8710.014.214.857.510758.222.329%5.1—
3923 May28.520.5712.014.114.951.59627.722.529%6.74
4024 May28.218.3710.014.014.954.010067.922.930%4.9—
4125 May27.920.3660.014.714.956.610528.223.129%5.2—
4226 May23.718.2800.513.315.042.37846.921.428%4.1—
4327 May20.716.8881.311.515.051.49537.820.629%53
4428 May16.611.88610.74.115.024.54545.017.233%12.621
4529 May19.011.7671.510.515.039.07206.616.536%4.83
4630 May21.910.4630.014.515.161.611368.717.333%5—
4731 May17.412.3812.45.315.127.95135.416.632%4.75
481 Jun19.414.48837.38.615.131.75835.817.140%27.560
492 Jun18.813.4835.89.915.135.16456.216.841%8.512
503 Jun22.814.3780.313.715.243.47957.118.140%3.9—
514 Jun23.616.7797.912.715.247.48677.519.939%11.916
525 Jun23.915.6837.412.715.240.97486.819.741%10.915
536 Jun22.417.58912.77.715.230.45545.719.741%15.325
547 Jun21.317.3908.42.715.224.84515.119.342%10.517
558 Jun25.416.7820.513.415.354.59928.120.940%5—
569 Jun26.515.7803.514.015.354.89978.221.439%8.27
5710 Jun25.619.4852.912.315.346.08367.421.840%6.86
5811 Jun22.618.6880.012.415.348.28767.621.739%3.7—
5912 Jun23.418.7911.213.315.339.97256.821.638%4.42
6013 Jun23.318.2870.011.515.343.57897.121.737%3.6—
6114 Jun23.517.8850.010.815.345.28197.321.436%3.7—
6215 Jun21.619.4902.510.815.335.96506.421.036%5.25
6316 Jun22.818.7870.011.415.348.88847.721.637%3.9—
6417 Jun22.218.3903.39.815.339.27106.721.036%6.37
6518 Jun22.018.7912.03.415.325.64635.220.837%4.14
6619 Jun29.517.6730.014.915.458.110518.522.636%5.2—
6720 Jun29.019.2700.014.515.453.39648.123.535%4.9—
6821 Jun23.518.1871.013.415.445.88297.422.234%4.52
6922 Jun23.220.3860.013.315.454.99938.222.734%4.1—
7023 Jun24.518.1790.014.915.461.211088.822.333%5—
7124 Jun24.418.1750.015.015.354.69888.222.032%4.6—
7225 Jun25.919.9710.015.015.361.611148.822.131%5—
7326 Jun23.618.1810.014.615.352.89578.022.430%4.3—
7427 Jun22.716.8790.615.015.352.19448.020.830%4.8—
7528 Jun22.215.4790.115.015.350.29107.820.530%4.1—
7629 Jun22.215.2800.015.015.354.59888.220.429%4.3—
7730 Jun25.315.4810.013.515.356.910348.421.528%4.7—
Download the chamber recipe (CSV)