Does a Basil Plant Withstand the Winter?

Temperature and Climate

• Native to India and the Middle East, basil plants require hot temperatures to thrive. The cold winter temperatures of North America will kill the basil plants at the first sign of frost.

Garden Bed Basil

• In hot climates with warm winters, spread a thick layer of mulch around the base of the basil plants in the garden. This will help to keep them warm throughout the winter; however, they will not survive a frost. Carefully pull up a couple plants in the fall and move them to containers for the winter.

Container-Grown Plants

• Begin preparing container-grown basil plants for winter in the early fall, well before the first frost. Trim the basil plants to the first leaves above the base of the stem. Bring the containers indoors at night for two weeks, returning them outdoors during the daylight hours. After two weeks, they should remain indoors in a location with plenty of sunlight or other bright light.