When to plant · 16 cities · zones 6a–7a
When to plant basil in Missouri
Start Genovese Basil seeds indoors around Mar 14 and transplant around Apr 25 — the Missouri statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Apr 11 across 1,047 ZIP codes and 193 NOAA stations.
The rule: Basil is damaged below about 50 °F, well before frost: transplant two weeks after the last frost, not on it.
Missouri basil, by step
Statewide median last frost Apr 11, first fall frost Oct 25, 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 14 | Apr 25 | Jun 24 | 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 Missouri's ZIP codes resolve to.
Basil in Missouri, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas Cityzone 6b | Apr 4 | Mar 7 | Apr 18 | Jun 17 |
| St. Louiszone 7a | Apr 1 | Mar 4 | Apr 15 | Jun 14 |
| Springfieldzone 7a | Apr 9 | Mar 12 | Apr 23 | Jun 22 |
| Columbiazone 6b | Apr 5 | Mar 8 | Apr 19 | Jun 18 |
| Independencezone 6b | Apr 10 | Mar 13 | Apr 24 | Jun 23 |
| Lee's Summitzone 6b | Apr 7 | Mar 10 | Apr 21 | Jun 20 |
| O'Fallonzone 6b | Apr 10 | Mar 13 | Apr 24 | Jun 23 |
| St. Charleszone 6b | Apr 8 | Mar 11 | Apr 22 | Jun 21 |
| St. Josephzone 6a | Apr 19 | Mar 22 | May 3 | Jul 2 |
| St. Peterszone 6b | Apr 9 | Mar 12 | Apr 23 | Jun 22 |
| Blue Springszone 6b | Apr 7 | Mar 10 | Apr 21 | Jun 20 |
| Joplinzone 7a | Apr 9 | Mar 12 | Apr 23 | Jun 22 |
| Florissantzone 7a | Apr 2 | Mar 5 | Apr 16 | Jun 15 |
| Chesterfieldzone 7a | Apr 4 | Mar 7 | Apr 18 | Jun 17 |
| Wentzvillezone 6b | Apr 10 | Mar 13 | Apr 24 | Jun 23 |
| Jefferson Cityzone 6b | Apr 10 | Mar 13 | Apr 24 | Jun 23 |
What these basil become
What Missouri 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 Missouri: questions
When should I plant basil in Missouri?
Transplant around Apr 25 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Apr 16 in the warmest tenth of Missouri's ZIP codes to May 3 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Apr 28 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When do I start basil seeds indoors in Missouri?
Around Mar 14 for Genovese Basil: 4 weeks before the statewide median last frost, on soil held at 70–80 °F.
When is the last frost in Missouri?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Apr 11. In the warmest tenth of Missouri's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 2; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 19.
When will Missouri basil be ready to harvest?
Genovese Basil planted on the statewide date is ready around Jun 24: 60 days from transplant.
More for Missouri
- 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 → · Missouri frost dates → · How frost-date math works →