Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Torrance you will be able to determine when it's a good idea to plant basil.

Planting Calendar for Basil

Frost tolerance for basil:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since basil do not do well in cold weather you really should wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant basil in Torrance is February. However, you really should wait until March 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. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your basil may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your basil indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is January 31 in Torrance. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 35°F.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Torrance and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Torrance you get surprised by a frost after January 31 so make sure that you are ready to cover your basil if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Torrance

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	35°F
Highest Expected Low	40°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 40°F.

Plants to Grow in Torrance

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