When to plant · 26 cities · zones 6a–10a
When to plant basil in Arizona
Start Genovese Basil seeds indoors around Jan 21 and transplant around Mar 4 — the Arizona statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Feb 18 across 413 ZIP codes and 148 NOAA stations.
The rule: Basil is damaged below about 50 °F, well before frost: transplant two weeks after the last frost, not on it.
Arizona basil, by step
Statewide median last frost Feb 18, first fall frost Dec 1, 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.
| Cultivar | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genovese BasilGenovese | Jan 21 | Mar 4 | May 3 | 60 from transplant |
Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost. Statewide dates are the ZIP-weighted median of every NOAA 1991–2020 station Arizona's ZIP codes resolve to; 3 of 416 ZIPs have no datable freeze and are left out.
Basil in Arizona, city by city
Genovese Basil, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.
| City | Last frost | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenixzone 9b | Jan 8 | Dec 11 | Jan 22 | Mar 23 |
| Tucsonzone 9b | Feb 5 | Jan 8 | Feb 19 | Apr 20 |
| Mesazone 9b | Feb 1 | Jan 4 | Feb 15 | Apr 16 |
| Gilbertzone 9b | Feb 1 | Jan 4 | Feb 15 | Apr 16 |
| Chandlerzone 9b | Feb 1 | Jan 4 | Feb 15 | Apr 16 |
| Glendalezone 9b | Jan 20 | Dec 23 | Feb 3 | Apr 4 |
| Scottsdalezone 10a | Jan 27 | Dec 30 | Feb 10 | Apr 11 |
| Peoriazone 9b | Feb 5 | Jan 8 | Feb 19 | Apr 20 |
| Tempezone 10a | Feb 13 | Jan 16 | Feb 27 | Apr 28 |
| Surprisezone 9b | Feb 5 | Jan 8 | Feb 19 | Apr 20 |
| Goodyearzone 9b | Jan 7 | Dec 10 | Jan 21 | Mar 22 |
| Buckeyezone 9b | Jan 7 | Dec 10 | Jan 21 | Mar 22 |
| Yumazone 10a | frost rare | Jan 3 | Feb 14 | Apr 15 |
| Avondalezone 9b | Jan 7 | Dec 10 | Jan 21 | Mar 22 |
| Queen Creekzone 9b | Feb 1 | Jan 4 | Feb 15 | Apr 16 |
| Flagstaffzone 6a | Jun 4 | May 7 | Jun 18 | Aug 17 |
| Maricopazone 9a | Feb 23 | Jan 26 | Mar 9 | May 8 |
| Casa Grandezone 9a | Feb 5 | Jan 8 | Feb 19 | Apr 20 |
| Maranazone 9b | Apr 2 | Mar 5 | Apr 16 | Jun 15 |
| Lake Havasu Cityzone 10a | Jan 5 | Dec 8 | Jan 19 | Mar 20 |
| Prescott Valleyzone 7b | Apr 30 | Apr 2 | May 14 | Jul 13 |
| Oro Valleyzone 9a | Apr 2 | Mar 5 | Apr 16 | Jun 15 |
| Prescottzone 7b | Apr 30 | Apr 2 | May 14 | Jul 13 |
| Sierra Vistazone 8b | Apr 18 | Mar 21 | May 2 | Jul 1 |
| Apache Junctionzone 9b | Feb 1 | Jan 4 | Feb 15 | Apr 16 |
| Bullhead Cityzone 10a | Jan 4 | Dec 7 | Jan 18 | Mar 19 |
What these basil become
What Arizona basil need
Genovese Sweet Basil Seed
The large-leaf, low-anise Italian basil that pesto is defined by. Thai and lemon basils are good plants and wrong ingredients.
Organic Seed Starter Potting MixMust have
Seed-starting mix is not potting soil with a nicer label — it is finer, lighter, and low in nutrients on purpose, because a seedling's first roots want air and moisture, not fertiliser.
T8 Full-Spectrum Grow Lights, 1 ft 4-packMust have
A south window in March delivers a fraction of the light a pepper seedling needs, and the plant tells you by stretching. Two inches of LED above the canopy for 16 hours a day fixes it permanently.
5-Gallon Fabric Grow Bags, 5-Pack
Fabric pots air-prune roots and drain faster than a plastic pot can, which is the entire reason container tomatoes fail. Five gallons is the honest minimum for a pepper; a tomato wants ten.
Ocean Forest Potting SoilMust have
Pre-charged with enough nutrition to carry a transplant for its first month without feeding, which is exactly the window when most container plants stall.
6" Micro-Tip Pruning SnipsMust have
Ninety percent of sauce-garden cutting is snipping a pepper stem or a basil node, and a fine-tipped snip does it better than any pruner. Pulling peppers by hand tears the branch.
Mesh Strainers, Stainless, 3-Count
The last pass before bottling. A fine mesh catches the skin fragments and seed shards that make a hot sauce gritty and clog a woozy bottle's dripper insert.
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Basil in Arizona: questions
When should I plant basil in Arizona?
Transplant around Mar 4 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Jan 21 in the warmest tenth of Arizona's ZIP codes to May 29 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Mar 11 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When do I start basil seeds indoors in Arizona?
Around Jan 21 for Genovese Basil: 4 weeks before the statewide median last frost, on soil held at 70–80 °F.
When is the last frost in Arizona?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Feb 18. In the warmest tenth of Arizona's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Jan 7; in the coldest tenth, on or after May 15.
When will Arizona basil be ready to harvest?
Genovese Basil planted on the statewide date is ready around May 3: 60 days from transplant.
More for Arizona
- When to plant tomatoes
- When to plant peppers
- When to plant tomatillos
- When to plant cilantro
- When to plant carrots
- When to plant mustard greens
Basil in every state → · Arizona frost dates → · How frost-date math works →