When to plant · 35 cities · zones 5b–7a
When to plant basil in Massachusetts
Start Genovese Basil seeds indoors around Mar 30 and transplant around May 11 — the Massachusetts statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Apr 27 across 539 ZIP codes and 72 NOAA stations.
The rule: Basil is damaged below about 50 °F, well before frost: transplant two weeks after the last frost, not on it.
Massachusetts basil, by step
Statewide median last frost Apr 27, first fall frost Oct 14, 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 | Mar 30 | May 11 | Jul 10 | 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 Massachusetts's ZIP codes resolve to.
Basil in Massachusetts, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bostonzone 7a | Apr 4 | Mar 7 | Apr 18 | Jun 17 |
| Worcesterzone 6a | Apr 23 | Mar 26 | May 7 | Jul 6 |
| Springfieldzone 6a | May 3 | Apr 5 | May 17 | Jul 16 |
| Cambridgezone 6b | Apr 19 | Mar 22 | May 3 | Jul 2 |
| Lowellzone 6b | Apr 30 | Apr 2 | May 14 | Jul 13 |
| Brocktonzone 6b | Apr 22 | Mar 25 | May 6 | Jul 5 |
| Lynnzone 7a | Apr 25 | Mar 28 | May 9 | Jul 8 |
| Quincyzone 7a | Apr 25 | Mar 28 | May 9 | Jul 8 |
| New Bedfordzone 7a | Apr 29 | Apr 1 | May 13 | Jul 12 |
| Fall Riverzone 7a | Apr 29 | Apr 1 | May 13 | Jul 12 |
| Newtonzone 6b | Apr 19 | Mar 22 | May 3 | Jul 2 |
| Lawrencezone 6b | Apr 13 | Mar 16 | Apr 27 | Jun 26 |
| Somervillezone 7a | Apr 4 | Mar 7 | Apr 18 | Jun 17 |
| Framinghamzone 6b | Apr 26 | Mar 29 | May 10 | Jul 9 |
| Haverhillzone 6a | May 1 | Apr 3 | May 15 | Jul 14 |
| Maldenzone 6b | Apr 4 | Mar 7 | Apr 18 | Jun 17 |
| Walthamzone 6b | Apr 28 | Mar 31 | May 12 | Jul 11 |
| Tauntonzone 6b | Apr 22 | Mar 25 | May 6 | Jul 5 |
| Reverezone 7a | Apr 4 | Mar 7 | Apr 18 | Jun 17 |
| Weymouthzone 6b | Apr 25 | Mar 28 | May 9 | Jul 8 |
| Medfordzone 6b | Apr 4 | Mar 7 | Apr 18 | Jun 17 |
| Peabodyzone 6b | Apr 24 | Mar 27 | May 8 | Jul 7 |
| Chicopeezone 6a | May 3 | Apr 5 | May 17 | Jul 16 |
| Methuenzone 6b | Apr 13 | Mar 16 | Apr 27 | Jun 26 |
| Everettzone 7a | Apr 4 | Mar 7 | Apr 18 | Jun 17 |
| Barnstablezone 7a | Apr 16 | Mar 19 | Apr 30 | Jun 29 |
| Attleborozone 6b | Apr 27 | Mar 30 | May 11 | Jul 10 |
| Salemzone 7a | Apr 25 | Mar 28 | May 9 | Jul 8 |
| Leominsterzone 6a | Apr 29 | Apr 1 | May 13 | Jul 12 |
| Woburnzone 6b | Apr 25 | Mar 28 | May 9 | Jul 8 |
| Beverlyzone 6b | May 4 | Apr 6 | May 18 | Jul 17 |
| Pittsfieldzone 5b | May 5 | Apr 7 | May 19 | Jul 18 |
| Marlboroughzone 6b | May 2 | Apr 4 | May 16 | Jul 15 |
| Fitchburgzone 6a | Apr 29 | Apr 1 | May 13 | Jul 12 |
| Amherstzone 6a | May 5 | Apr 7 | May 19 | Jul 18 |
What these basil become
What Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts: questions
When should I plant basil in Massachusetts?
Transplant around May 11 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Apr 27 in the warmest tenth of Massachusetts's ZIP codes to May 21 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from May 11 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When do I start basil seeds indoors in Massachusetts?
Around Mar 30 for Genovese Basil: 4 weeks before the statewide median last frost, on soil held at 70–80 °F.
When is the last frost in Massachusetts?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Apr 27. In the warmest tenth of Massachusetts's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 13; in the coldest tenth, on or after May 7.
When will Massachusetts basil be ready to harvest?
Genovese Basil planted on the statewide date is ready around Jul 10: 60 days from transplant.
More for Massachusetts
- When to plant tomatoes
- When to plant peppers
- When to plant tomatillos
- When to plant onions
- When to plant cilantro
- When to plant carrots
- When to plant mustard greens
Basil in every state → · Massachusetts frost dates → · How frost-date math works →