Is Basil deer resistant?
Ocimum basilicum
About Basil
Pinch the flower spikes out as they form or the leaves turn bitter within days. Truly frost tender, so it goes out only once nights are reliably above 50F.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 10 to 12 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Similar to Basil
Other annuals with the same deer rating.
- Annual CandytuftIberis umbellataGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Annual SalviaSalvia splendensGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Annual VerbenaVerbena x hybridaGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Bachelor's ButtonsCentaurea cyanusGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- BorageBorago officinalisGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- California PoppyEschscholzia californicaGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
Where Basil grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Basil belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Basil
- Is Basil deer resistant?
- Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Basil grow in?
- Basil is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Basil grow in shade?
- No. Basil wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Basil get?
- Mature height is roughly 4–36 in. Growth rate is fast.