When to plant · 51 states · 2027 season
When to plant basil, state by state
Basil is damaged below about 50 °F, well before frost: transplant two weeks after the last frost, not on it.
| State | Last frost median | Start indoors | Plant out median | Plant out warm – cold tenth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Mar 21 | Feb 21 | Apr 4 | Mar 18 – Apr 18 |
| Alaska | May 18 | Apr 20 | Jun 1 | May 13 – Jun 15 |
| Arizona | Feb 18 | Jan 21 | Mar 4 | Jan 21 – May 29 |
| Arkansas | Mar 28 | Feb 28 | Apr 11 | Mar 30 – Apr 23 |
| California | Feb 7 | Jan 10 | Feb 21 | Jan 19 – May 18 |
| Colorado | May 7 | Apr 9 | May 21 | May 14 – Jun 20 |
| Connecticut | Apr 20 | Mar 23 | May 4 | Apr 28 – May 17 |
| Delaware | Apr 7 | Mar 10 | Apr 21 | Apr 17 – Apr 25 |
| District of Columbia | Mar 24 | Feb 24 | Apr 7 | Apr 7 – Apr 23 |
| Florida | Jan 30 | Jan 2 | Feb 13 | Jan 31 – Mar 18 |
| Georgia | Mar 23 | Feb 23 | Apr 6 | Mar 19 – Apr 17 |
| Hawaii | frost rare | Dec 18 | Jan 29 | — |
| Idaho | May 14 | Apr 16 | May 28 | May 8 – Jun 23 |
| Illinois | Apr 17 | Mar 20 | May 1 | Apr 21 – May 11 |
| Indiana | Apr 22 | Mar 25 | May 6 | Apr 25 – May 12 |
| Iowa | Apr 28 | Mar 31 | May 12 | May 4 – May 17 |
| Kansas | Apr 17 | Mar 20 | May 1 | Apr 22 – May 12 |
| Kentucky | Apr 15 | Mar 18 | Apr 29 | Apr 17 – May 8 |
| Louisiana | Feb 28 | Jan 31 | Mar 14 | Feb 17 – Mar 30 |
| Maine | May 6 | Apr 8 | May 20 | May 11 – May 30 |
| Maryland | Apr 5 | Mar 8 | Apr 19 | Apr 10 – May 6 |
| Massachusetts | Apr 27 | Mar 30 | May 11 | Apr 27 – May 21 |
| Michigan | May 3 | Apr 5 | May 17 | May 10 – Jun 6 |
| Minnesota | May 4 | Apr 6 | May 18 | May 9 – May 30 |
| Mississippi | Mar 16 | Feb 16 | Mar 30 | Mar 20 – Apr 15 |
| Missouri | Apr 11 | Mar 14 | Apr 25 | Apr 16 – May 3 |
| Montana | May 20 | Apr 22 | Jun 3 | May 23 – Jun 20 |
| Nebraska | Apr 27 | Mar 30 | May 11 | May 5 – May 22 |
| Nevada | Apr 15 | Mar 18 | Apr 29 | Feb 7 – Jun 16 |
| New Hampshire | May 8 | Apr 10 | May 22 | May 14 – Jun 3 |
| New Jersey | Apr 15 | Mar 18 | Apr 29 | Apr 16 – May 9 |
| New Mexico | May 2 | Apr 4 | May 16 | Apr 12 – Jun 12 |
| New York | May 1 | Apr 3 | May 15 | Apr 16 – May 28 |
| North Carolina | Mar 31 | Mar 3 | Apr 14 | Apr 5 – May 3 |
| North Dakota | May 12 | Apr 14 | May 26 | May 20 – Jun 2 |
| Ohio | Apr 24 | Mar 27 | May 8 | May 1 – May 15 |
| Oklahoma | Apr 4 | Mar 7 | Apr 18 | Apr 11 – Apr 26 |
| Oregon | Apr 11 | Mar 14 | Apr 25 | Mar 23 – Jun 10 |
| Pennsylvania | Apr 27 | Mar 30 | May 11 | Apr 28 – May 24 |
| Rhode Island | Apr 11 | Mar 14 | Apr 25 | Apr 25 – May 15 |
| South Carolina | Mar 24 | Feb 24 | Apr 7 | Mar 20 – Apr 20 |
| South Dakota | May 6 | Apr 8 | May 20 | May 15 – May 28 |
| Tennessee | Apr 6 | Mar 9 | Apr 20 | Apr 11 – May 4 |
| Texas | Mar 10 | Feb 10 | Mar 24 | Feb 16 – Apr 16 |
| Utah | May 5 | Apr 7 | May 19 | Apr 23 – Jun 15 |
| Vermont | May 13 | Apr 15 | May 27 | May 15 – Jun 4 |
| Virginia | Apr 11 | Mar 14 | Apr 25 | Apr 13 – May 10 |
| Washington | Apr 14 | Mar 17 | Apr 28 | Mar 22 – May 27 |
| West Virginia | Apr 23 | Mar 26 | May 7 | Apr 22 – May 18 |
| Wisconsin | May 4 | Apr 6 | May 18 | May 10 – Jun 2 |
| Wyoming | May 21 | Apr 23 | Jun 4 | May 25 – Jun 16 |
Each state's dates are the ZIP-weighted median of NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 station normals, scheduled for Genovese Basil by the same engine as the Plan Builder. The last column is the spread between the warmest and coldest tenth of the state's ZIP codes. Open a state for every city and cultivar.
Genovese Basil grow guide →Every crop →Frost dates by city →