The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Mitchell you can figure out when it's a good idea to plant basil by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Basil

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

It's not a good idea to plant basil until after all chance of frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant basil in Mitchell 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 fully mature. If you are starting your basil indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Mitchell. You should expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Mitchell is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Mitchell you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your basil if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Mitchell

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°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 -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Mitchell

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