GardenAnnual Herb · zones 10–10 · 22 varieties
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Lamiaceae — the same plant family as english lavender, bee balm, mint, rosemary and 11 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an annual herb for USDA zones 10–10. It wants full sun and pH 6–7.5 soil, with about 1.5 in of water weekly. It matures in about 60–70 days from sowing. Watch for japanese beetle and downy mildew. Below: its full sourced profile from 15 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Hardiness zones
- 10–10
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6–7.5
- Soil texture
- Loam, Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Tender
- Gets tough below
- 50 °F
No published figure for the temperature that would kill it, a heat limit and a warm-night limit. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 12–18 in
- Mature spread
- 4–14 in
- Growth rate
- Fastest
- Spacing in row
- 6–12 in
- Between rows
- 18 in
- Planting depth
- 0.125–0.25 in
- Container size
- 2–3 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is better
- Support
- Self-supportingest
- Grown from
- Direct sow, Transplant, Cutting
There is no line here for the point in its life when water matters most, because we have no figure to put there. We went looking and wrote down what we read — it is missing on purpose, not because nobody checked.
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Water per week
- 1.5 in/wk
- Feeding
- Moderate
Timing & fruiting
- Days to maturity
- 60–70 days from seed
- Harvest cues
- Rapid leaf growthest
- Chilling injury below
- 50 °F
Planted again for autumn
- Sow by
- late Aug typical · zone 6b
60 days to maturity from sowing, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.
Edible parts per source: leaf.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
Basil can cut thrips numbers on tomatoes, and a modest yield gain shows up when it is planted at good density. They also want the same heat and water, so the bed suits both.
Same bed conditions, same kitchen destiny.
Companion pairings from university extensions; badge = how strong the evidence is.
Different parts differ — the edible part is the leaf; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.
PetsNon toxic to dogs, Non toxic to cats
Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).
Open one and add it to your garden — it lights up here. The rest of the 22 are in the full list below.
| Variety | Type | Days | Color | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazel F1 | Sweet Genovese | 60–70 | Green | |
| Aromatto | Purple | 75–80 | Bicolor | |
| Cardinal | Thai | 60–70 | Green | |
| Cinnamon | Cinnamon | 65 | Green | |
| Dark Opal | Purple | 70 | Purple | |
| Doron Prospera | Purple | 74 | Purple | |
| Everleaf Emerald Towers | Sweet Genovese | 60–70 | Green | Botanical Interests describes this asslow to run to seed in heat |
| Everleaf Thai Towers | Thai | 65 | Green | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat |
| Genovese | Sweet Genovese | 68 | Green | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asslow to run to seed in heat |
| Holy Basil (Tulsi) | Holy Tulsi | 90–100 | Green | |
| Italian Large Leaf Heirloom | Sweet Genovese | 60–70 | Green | |
| Lemon Heirloom | Lemon | 60–90 | Green | |
| Lettuce Leaf | Lettuce Leaf | 60–70 | Green | Botanical Interests describes this asslow to run to seed in heat |
| Lime | Lime | 60 | Green | |
| Mrs. Burns' Lemon Heirloom | Lemon | 60 | Green | |
| Napoletano | Lettuce Leaf | 60–70 | Green | |
| Pesto Perpetuo | 60–70 | Bicolor | Territorial Seed Company describes this asslow to run to seed in heat | |
| Prospera Compact DMR F1 | Sweet Genovese | 74 | Green | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this assmaller than most · slow to run to seed in heat |
| Purple Ruffles | Purple | 85 | Purple | |
| Red Rubin | Purple | 72 | Purple | |
| Spicy Globe | Spicy Globe | 70 | Green | Fedco Seeds describes this assmaller than most |
| Thai | Thai | 64 | Green |
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
- NC State Extension
- Penn State Extension
- UMass Extension Vegetable Program (Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment)
- University of Illinois Extension
- University of Maryland Extension
- University of Minnesota Extension
- University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
- Utah State University Extension
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 18 of the 21 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
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