When to plant · 22 cities · zones 7b–8a
When to plant basil in Tennessee
Start Genovese Basil seeds indoors around Mar 9 and transplant around Apr 20 — the Tennessee statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Apr 6 across 636 ZIP codes and 154 NOAA stations.
The rule: Basil is damaged below about 50 °F, well before frost: transplant two weeks after the last frost, not on it.
Tennessee basil, by step
Statewide median last frost Apr 6, first fall frost Oct 29, 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 9 | Apr 20 | Jun 19 | 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 Tennessee's ZIP codes resolve to.
Basil in Tennessee, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashvillezone 7b | Apr 1 | Mar 4 | Apr 15 | Jun 14 |
| Memphiszone 8a | Mar 16 | Feb 16 | Mar 30 | May 29 |
| Knoxvillezone 7b | Apr 11 | Mar 14 | Apr 25 | Jun 24 |
| Chattanoogazone 8a | Mar 24 | Feb 24 | Apr 7 | Jun 6 |
| Clarksvillezone 7b | Apr 10 | Mar 13 | Apr 24 | Jun 23 |
| Murfreesborozone 7b | Apr 9 | Mar 12 | Apr 23 | Jun 22 |
| Franklinzone 7b | Apr 15 | Mar 18 | Apr 29 | Jun 28 |
| Johnson Cityzone 7b | Apr 19 | Mar 22 | May 3 | Jul 2 |
| Jacksonzone 7b | Apr 2 | Mar 5 | Apr 16 | Jun 15 |
| Hendersonvillezone 7b | Apr 11 | Mar 14 | Apr 25 | Jun 24 |
| Smyrnazone 7b | Apr 13 | Mar 16 | Apr 27 | Jun 26 |
| Spring Hillzone 7b | Apr 3 | Mar 6 | Apr 17 | Jun 16 |
| Kingsportzone 7b | Apr 9 | Mar 12 | Apr 23 | Jun 22 |
| Bartlettzone 8a | Mar 29 | Mar 1 | Apr 12 | Jun 11 |
| Gallatinzone 7b | Apr 16 | Mar 19 | Apr 30 | Jun 29 |
| Colliervillezone 8a | Mar 29 | Mar 1 | Apr 12 | Jun 11 |
| Lebanonzone 7b | Apr 10 | Mar 13 | Apr 24 | Jun 23 |
| Clevelandzone 7b | Apr 6 | Mar 9 | Apr 20 | Jun 19 |
| Columbiazone 7b | Apr 10 | Mar 13 | Apr 24 | Jun 23 |
| Brentwoodzone 7b | Apr 15 | Mar 18 | Apr 29 | Jun 28 |
| Mount Julietzone 7b | Apr 1 | Mar 4 | Apr 15 | Jun 14 |
| La Vergnezone 7b | Apr 13 | Mar 16 | Apr 27 | Jun 26 |
What these basil become
What Tennessee 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 Tennessee: questions
When should I plant basil in Tennessee?
Transplant around Apr 20 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Apr 11 in the warmest tenth of Tennessee's ZIP codes to May 4 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Apr 23 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When do I start basil seeds indoors in Tennessee?
Around Mar 9 for Genovese Basil: 4 weeks before the statewide median last frost, on soil held at 70–80 °F.
When is the last frost in Tennessee?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Apr 6. In the warmest tenth of Tennessee's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Mar 28; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 20.
When will Tennessee basil be ready to harvest?
Genovese Basil planted on the statewide date is ready around Jun 19: 60 days from transplant.
More for Tennessee
- 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 → · Tennessee frost dates → · How frost-date math works →