Holy Basil is a perennial culinary herb, grown for the flavor it brings to the kitchen, ready to harvest about 70 days after planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 10 through 11 and stands up to deer. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees, even though the harvest is the prize.
Holy Basil — the short answer
Holy Basil: grown in zones 10–11, full sun, pH 5–9, about 70 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 10–11
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5–9
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 70 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- 30.2°F
- FAO ECOCROP
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Holy Basil on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether holy basil actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score holy basil against your land's real conditions.
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What Holy Basil is
Holy Basil grows as a perennial and reaches around two feet at maturity. It blooms purple in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Holy Basil
Holy Basil grows in USDA zones 10 through 11 and is ready to harvest about 70 days after planting. Holy Basil does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 9, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,800 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 40 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
10-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 9
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
30.2°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
59°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
70 days
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
1800+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
2 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
40+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant holy basil in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Holy Basil prefers pH 5 to 9 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Holy Basil is ready about 70 days after planting. Snip sprigs as you need them — regular cutting keeps the foliage tender and slows it bolting to flower.
Where Holy Basil thrives
Holy Basil is hardy across USDA zones 10 through 11. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 10–11 spans average winter lows from 30°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers none outright but splits 8 down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 10–11·Where Holy Basil growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Holy Basil stands, state by state
Holy Basil is rated for zones 10–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 0 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 8 more, and 43 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
8 states
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
- Arizona · zones 5b-10b
3 of 8 shown
Holy Basil’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Holy Basil
Growing guides for holy basil
In rotation planning, holy basil counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — holy basil isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Holy Basil offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Before you harvest holy basil, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant holy basil for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Holy Basil's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Holy Basil will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether holy basil actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Holy Basil
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Holy Basil in my zone?
Holy Basil grows in USDA hardiness zones 10 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Holy Basil take to grow?
Holy Basil is ready to harvest about 70 days after planting. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Holy Basil?
Most growers plant holy basil after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 40-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Holy Basil need?
Holy Basil needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Holy Basil need?
Holy Basil prefers soil pH 5 to 9, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Holy Basil attract pollinators?
Yes — holy basil's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Holy Basil safe for pets?
Holy Basil is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)