Warm-season and frost-tender. Start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost; plant out 2 to 3 weeks after your last frost; sow outdoors 2 to 3 weeks after your last frost. First harvest 42 to 60 days from planting.
Photo: “Sweet Basil” by JeannieNadja, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
Full sun6–8 hours or more
12–24 in apartRows 18–36 in
42–60 daysFrom planting out
Soil 70 °F +pH 6.0–7.0
1–1½ in a weekEven watering
Frost-tenderHurt by frost and cold wind
Your dates
Put in your ZIP code to see when to start, plant and harvest basil where you live, from your own frost dates.
Open my planting calendarOpen the planting calendarAdd this crop to the calendar saved on this device
From seed to harvest
SowSeed goes inWeek 0
SproutFirst shoots showWeek 1–2
True leavesFirst real leavesWeek 3–4
Thin or plant outGive each plant roomWeek 4–6
Leaf growthLeaves fill outWeek 7–9
HarvestReady to pickWeek 10–12
How to plant and grow
Start seeds indoors
Sow seed 1/4 inch deep four to six weeks before planting out. Keep it warm, about 70 °F, and seedlings appear in 5 to 14 days.
Wait for warmth
Basil hates cold. Set plants out after frost, once days are in the 70s and nights stay above 50 °F.
Space for air
Set plants about 12 inches apart or more. Good air flow helps keep leaf diseases down.
Water and mulch
Give about 1 to 1.5 inches of water a week at the base of the plant. Mulch to hold moisture and keep leaves dry.
Pinch often
Pinch stem tips and remove flower spikes to keep plants bushy and leaves full of flavor.
Harvest
Start picking about six weeks after planting. Cut stems back, leaving a few pairs of leaves to regrow.
Beat the frost
Harvest heavily before the first fall frost, or pot a plant and bring it to a sunny window.
What you'll see: Yellow patches on top of leaves, often boxed in by the veins, with gray to purple fuzz underneath; on shallots, whitish-gray growth on older leaves. Leaves brown and die, worst in cool, wet weather.
Prevent
Grow resistant varieties; basil sold as downy mildew resistant holds up far better.
Space plants, trellis vines and water at the base so leaves dry fast.
Remove and destroy infected plants promptly.
Organic options
Copper protects cucumber and melon leaves best when used before the disease arrives. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Chlorothalonil or mancozeb on vine crops, if labeled. On basil, home-garden sprays work poorly; grow resistant varieties.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Fusarium wiltDiseaseNo spray helps
What you'll see: Lower leaves yellow, often on one side of the plant, and the plant wilts and dies. A cut stem shows brown streaks inside.
Prevent
Grow resistant varieties; on tomatoes look for F on the label.
Buy healthy transplants and clean seed.
Rotate for several years; the fungus lives a long time in soil.
Keep soil pH near neutral and avoid too much nitrogen.
What you'll see: Metallic green-and-bronze beetles eat leaves down to a lace of veins, feeding in groups on leaves, flowers and fruit.
Prevent
Do not use beetle traps; they draw in more beetles than they catch.
Check plants daily while beetles are flying.
Organic options
Knock beetles into soapy water in the early morning or evening.
Spinosad, neem oil, or OMRI Listed pyrethrins (without piperonyl butoxide) help somewhat.
Conventional options
Carbaryl, bifenthrin or zeta-cypermethrin, if the crop is on the label.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Photo: “Deroceras reticulatum” by Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
SlugsPest
What you'll see: Ragged holes in leaves and fruit, and shiny slime trails, mostly after damp nights.
Prevent
Clear mulch and leaf litter close to plants so the ground can dry.
Start early; do not wait for a heavy infestation.
Organic options
Sink shallow containers of beer to the rim; empty and refill them often.
Iron phosphate bait scattered on the soil around plants. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Same as organic: iron phosphate bait is the pick for food gardens, being far less harmful to pets and wildlife.
Photo: “Aphids on Kale leaf” by Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
AphidsPest
What you'll see: Clusters of small, soft-bodied green, black or gray insects on new shoots and under leaves. Leaves curl, and a sticky film may coat them.
Prevent
Check leaf undersides each week; a few aphids do little harm.
Pull nearby weeds, such as wild mustards, that feed aphids.
Grow flowers for lady beetles, lacewings and hover flies, and avoid broad sprays that kill them.
Organic options
Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water.
Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides, repeated as the label allows.
Neem oil, or OMRI Listed pyrethrins (without piperonyl butoxide).
Conventional options
Malathion or permethrin, if the crop is on the label. These also kill the insects that eat aphids.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Read and follow the product label: it is the law. It sets the rate, the crops it is for, and the days between spraying and picking. Products registered vary by state; for organic growing, look for products allowed under the USDA National Organic Program (OMRI Listed). We name active ingredients, not brands or rates.
The link opens this growing guide, so anyone can read it and look up their own planting dates.
FacebookShare this link on Facebook.XShare this link on X.LinkedInShare this link on LinkedIn.RedditShare this link on Reddit.PinterestShare this link on Pinterest.EmailEmail this link.Open your device's share menu.Copy the link to your clipboard.
Growing more than you can eat? Sell it at a farm stand. TallyTill takes cards and keeps count of what sells, and the Stand plan is free.
Sow
Sprout
True leaves
Thin or plant out
Leaf growth
Harvest
