When to plant · 24 cities · zones 6a–8b
When to plant basil in Utah
Start Genovese Basil seeds indoors around Apr 7 and transplant around May 19 — the Utah statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of May 5 across 295 ZIP codes and 136 NOAA stations.
The rule: Basil is damaged below about 50 °F, well before frost: transplant two weeks after the last frost, not on it.
Utah basil, by step
Statewide median last frost May 5, first fall frost Oct 10, 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 | Apr 7 | May 19 | Jul 18 | 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 Utah's ZIP codes resolve to; 3 of 298 ZIPs have no datable freeze and are left out.
Basil in Utah, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake Cityzone 7b | Mar 31 | Mar 3 | Apr 14 | Jun 13 |
| West Valley Cityzone 7b | Apr 8 | Mar 11 | Apr 22 | Jun 21 |
| West Jordanzone 7b | Apr 18 | Mar 21 | May 2 | Jul 1 |
| Provozone 7a | Apr 18 | Mar 21 | May 2 | Jul 1 |
| St. Georgezone 8b | Mar 14 | Feb 14 | Mar 28 | May 27 |
| Oremzone 7a | Apr 19 | Mar 22 | May 3 | Jul 2 |
| Lehizone 7a | Apr 30 | Apr 2 | May 14 | Jul 13 |
| Sandyzone 7b | Apr 29 | Apr 1 | May 13 | Jul 12 |
| Ogdenzone 6b | Apr 21 | Mar 24 | May 5 | Jul 4 |
| South Jordanzone 7a | Apr 18 | Mar 21 | May 2 | Jul 1 |
| Laytonzone 7a | Apr 19 | Mar 22 | May 3 | Jul 2 |
| Millcreekzone 7b | Apr 25 | Mar 28 | May 9 | Jul 8 |
| Herrimanzone 7a | Apr 18 | Mar 21 | May 2 | Jul 1 |
| Eagle Mountainzone 6b | Apr 30 | Apr 2 | May 14 | Jul 13 |
| Taylorsvillezone 7b | Apr 8 | Mar 11 | Apr 22 | Jun 21 |
| Saratoga Springszone 7a | Apr 30 | Apr 2 | May 14 | Jul 13 |
| Loganzone 6a | Apr 30 | Apr 2 | May 14 | Jul 13 |
| Murrayzone 7b | Apr 29 | Apr 1 | May 13 | Jul 12 |
| Draperzone 7a | Apr 18 | Mar 21 | May 2 | Jul 1 |
| Spanish Forkzone 7a | Apr 25 | Mar 28 | May 9 | Jul 8 |
| Rivertonzone 7a | Apr 18 | Mar 21 | May 2 | Jul 1 |
| Bountifulzone 6b | Apr 25 | Mar 28 | May 9 | Jul 8 |
| American Forkzone 7a | Apr 17 | Mar 20 | May 1 | Jun 30 |
| Tooelezone 7a | May 2 | Apr 4 | May 16 | Jul 15 |
What these basil become
What Utah 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 Utah: questions
When should I plant basil in Utah?
Transplant around May 19 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Apr 23 in the warmest tenth of Utah's ZIP codes to Jun 15 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from May 28 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When do I start basil seeds indoors in Utah?
Around Apr 7 for Genovese Basil: 4 weeks before the statewide median last frost, on soil held at 70–80 °F.
When is the last frost in Utah?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is May 5. In the warmest tenth of Utah's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 9; in the coldest tenth, on or after Jun 1.
When will Utah basil be ready to harvest?
Genovese Basil planted on the statewide date is ready around Jul 18: 60 days from transplant.
More for Utah
- 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 → · Utah frost dates → · How frost-date math works →