Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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.

In Keyport you can determine when to plant basil by using 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.

You should not plant basil until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant basil in Keyport 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. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your basil may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your basil indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Keyport. You can expect an average low temperature of 0°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Keyport is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Keyport it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your basil in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Keyport

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	0°F
Highest Expected Low	5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 0°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 5°F.

Plants to Grow in Keyport

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