Right now, I have Mascotte French beans, Magenta Crisp lettuce, and a variety of basils growing in my garden. The basil shown next to the lettuce is Siam Queen Thai basil, which has a licorice/anise flavor to it. These pictures were downloaded from the internet, but they’re true to appearance.
The Mascotte beans are a bush bean that so far has been prolific. I’m hoping they produce for at least a few more months. The Magenta Crisp from Johnny’s Seeds are a Hawaii weather staple for us. I grow them in aquarium gravel then either eat them young, or pull out and transplant. They’d make a great addition for anyone looking to do aquaponics.
Basil is so easy, it would be a shame not to grow it. I have several varieties going right now, a lemon (citrus) basil, cinnamon basil, Siam Queen Thai and an Italian Genovese. I try to keep them separated so that they don’t cross-pollinate. I think of the varieties going right now, the cinnamon basil is the most versatile. I can use it for both Italian and SE Asian cooking. The family loves basil over pasta and that’s a good economical, yet fancy, meal.