When to plant Basil
Computed from land-grant Extension planting-window rules (cited below), localized to real ZIP-level median frost dates, not a single national guess. These are national-generic rules by hardiness class; individual state Extension offices layer their own regional adjustment on top (earlier in the Deep South, later in the Upper Midwest). Enter your ZIP for your own dates, or read the four representative locations below.
Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.
Representative timing, by climate band
When to plant Basil in four US climates
Each column is the most nursery-dense location in our directory within that USDA zone band, computed from that location's own real median frost dates, not a made-up example.
| Stage |
Zones 1-5 (cold winters)
Fort Plain, NY |
Zones 6-7 (temperate)
McMinnville, TN |
Zones 8-9 (warm)
Apopka, FL |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)
Loxahatchee, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start seed indoors | Mar 11–Mar 25 | Feb 10–Feb 24 | Dec 30–Jan 13 | – |
| Direct-sow outside | May 20–Sep 30 | Apr 21–Sep 1 | Mar 10–Jul 21 | – |
| Transplant outside | May 6–May 20 | Apr 7–Apr 21 | Feb 24–Mar 10 | – |
| Fall planting | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Expected harvest | May 20–Aug 3 | Apr 21–Jul 5 | Mar 10–May 24 | – |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent) (Loxahatchee, FL): Frost is rare here (about 359 frost-free days a year); most years see little or no hard freeze. This is a tender crop. In climates like this one, tender and very-tender crops typically go in before the hottest months arrive, not on a frost-relative schedule.
Basil goes in after your last frost, not before it. Colorado State University Extension classifies basil a tender annual (Herb Gardening, CMG GardenNotes #731), and Clemson Cooperative Extension's Herbs factsheet (HGIC 1311) puts it plainly: plant in spring after the last frost. Start seed indoors six to eight weeks before that date, per NC State Extension's Central North Carolina planting calendar (AG-756-01), then set transplants out anywhere from the frost date itself to two weeks after.
Basil's days-to-maturity spread wide on this page, 14 to 75 days, because NC State's own count covers two different starting points, not one uncertain harvest: 14 to 35 days from transplant, 50 to 75 days from direct seed. NC State's calendar keeps a basil-sowing window open from about two weeks before frost through mid-September for the same reason, succession planting all summer rather than a single spring date.
At the nursery, basil is sold both as seed packets and as started plugs or four-inch pots. Either is a normal way to buy it: it germinates readily indoors, but it also transplants well once past the seedling stage, unlike cilantro or dill.
Frost hardiness
Tender. Damaged or killed by frost. Plant after the last frost date.
Days to maturity
14–75
Sourcing notes
CSU classifies basil a tender annual; Clemson: 'plant in spring after last frost.' NCSU Central NC calendar shows S/T Jan-window opening ~May 1 through Sep 15 (region's last frost ~mid-Apr, so window runs ~2-21 wk after frost, reflecting succession planting through summer); NCSU: 'start seedlings six to eight weeks before transplanting.' DTM per NCSU: transplants 14-35 days, direct-seed 50-75 days (used here as combined 14-75 range).
Related crops
Growing zones for this crop
Nurseries near these locations
See everything with an open window this month →
Sources
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Herbs (HGIC 1311) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- Colorado State University Extension, Colorado Master Gardener Program, Herb Gardening (CMG GardenNotes #731) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- NC State Extension, Central North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs (AG-756-01) (accessed 2026-08-04)