The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first chance to plant basil in Chelsea should be determined by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Basil

Frost tolerance for basil:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's not a good idea to plant basil until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant basil in Chelsea is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant basil and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your basil may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your basil indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Chelsea. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Chelsea is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Chelsea you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your basil in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Chelsea

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Chelsea

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Chelsea.