How to Grow Basil
Basil At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Herb
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to 7°C
Plant Family
Lamiaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Annual
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Basil hates cold, so wait until about 1 to 2 weeks after your last frost, when the soil feels warm and nights stay above 7°C (45°F). Sow 2 to 3 seeds 0.5 cm deep every 20 cm and cover them lightly. They sprout in 5 to 10 days: keep the strongest seedling at each spot and snip off the others.
Basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow from seed, and one plant gives you leaves all summer if you keep pinching the tips. It is killed by the first frost, so it is grown fresh each year. It also does well in a pot on a sunny windowsill.
When To Start
First chance to plant
7 Days After Last Frost
Last chance to plant
30 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Basil?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Basil Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Basil Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow basil outdoors now that the soil is warm
1 week after your last frost· every year
Optional: start basil indoors in a warm, bright spot
6 weeks before your last frost· every year· optional
Plant indoor basil seedlings out once nights are warm
2 weeks after your last frost· every year· optional
Pinch basil tips often and pick off flower buds
45 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Did you water your basil seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Time to thin the basil seedlings: snip the extras at soil level so each one has room to grow.
About 20 days after you plant it
Your basil is off and running! Pinch off the top pair of leaves to make it branch out and grow bushy.
About 27 days after you plant it
Your basil is nearly ready for steady picking. Pinch off any flower buds you see to keep the leaves coming.
About 43 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your basil.
About 50 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Basil's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 5–10 days
Growing Tips
- 1Give basil your sunniest spot, with 6 to 8 hours of sun a day.
- 2Plant it in soil with plenty of compost, or in a pot at least 15 cm wide.
- 3Water at the base when the top 2 cm of soil is dry, ideally in the morning, so the leaves dry quickly.
- 4Feed with worm castings or compost tea every 3 to 4 weeks to keep new leaves coming.
- 5Once the plant is about 15 cm tall, pinch off the top just above a pair of leaves, and pinch off flower buds as soon as they appear, so it grows bushy instead of flowering.
- 6Pick slugs off at dusk, spray aphids off with water, and leave room between plants so air can flow.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~50
Days to Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
45 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
60 days
When to Pick
Pinch leaves as needed
How to Harvest
- 1Start picking once the plant has at least 3 pairs of leaves.
- 2Cut or pinch each stem just above a pair of leaves, where two new shoots will grow.
- 3Never take more than a third of the plant at once, and keep pinching off flower buds all summer.
- 4Harvest the whole plant before the first fall frost, since cold turns the leaves black.
- 5Keep fresh basil in a glass of water on the counter, not in the fridge, or freeze it chopped in a little oil.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Basil flowers are pollinated by bees, so different basils growing close together (sweet, Thai, lemon, purple) can cross. To keep a variety true, let only one kind flower at a time, or grow them far apart. Hybrid F1 seeds will not grow true, so save only from a variety that is not a hybrid. Leave a few stems to flower at the end of summer and wait until the flower spikes turn brown and dry. Rub them over a bowl to free the small black seeds, blow away the chaff, and store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place for about 5 years.
Seed Production
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