One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the 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.

In Clinton you can estimate when it's possible 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 when the weather gets warmer.

It's not a good idea to plant basil until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant basil in Clinton 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

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Clinton. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 5°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Clinton may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Clinton it frosts late in the year after April 15 so always be ready to protect your basil in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Clinton

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

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

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Clinton

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