One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Honolulu you can estimate when to plant basil by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Basil

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

Basil are not cold tolerant which means that it's important to wait until it warms up after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

The last month that you can plant basil and expect a good harvest is probably November. Any later than that and your basil may not have a chance to fully mature. 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

In Honolulu it never frosts. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 50°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Honolulu is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since it never frosts in Honolulu you do not have to be ready to cover your basil if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Honolulu

Here is the info for USDA Zone 12a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	Never
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	Never
Lowest Expected Low	50°F
Highest Expected Low	55°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 50°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 55°F.

Plants to Grow in Honolulu

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