One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

You will be able to estimate when it's a good idea to plant basil by reviewing the USDA zone info for Fountain Hills.

Planting Calendar for Basil

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

Since basil do not do well in cold weather you must wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

The last month that you can plant basil and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your basil may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your basil indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Fountain Hills. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Fountain Hills is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Fountain Hills you get a frost after February 15 be ready to cover your basil in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Fountain Hills

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Fountain Hills

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Fountain Hills.