Basil · 'Ākra, Nineveh, Iraq
When to plant basil in 'Ākra
Main outdoor window
11-25 Apr
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
25 February
In 'Ākra, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
31 May - 20 Jun
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in 'Ākra
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Start indoors
28 Jan - 11 Feb
Four weeks before your last frost, under cover or on a windowsill.
Sow direct
11-25 Apr
Delayed by a soil-warming estimate derived from historical air temperatures. The frost-only date would be 11 Mar. Measure your soil before planting.
Plant out
11-25 Apr
Delayed by a soil-warming estimate derived from historical air temperatures. The frost-only date would be 11 Mar. Measure your soil before planting.
Harvest
31 May - 20 Jun
Basil through the year
Against the frost risk in 'Ākra
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in 'Ākra
March has the highest average precipitation (58 mm); July has the lowest (2 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in 'Ākra
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.5°C (34.6°F)34.6°F (1.5°C) | 11.9°C (53.4°F)53.4°F (11.9°C) | 9.0 |
| February | 2.4°C (36.3°F)36.3°F (2.4°C) | 14°C (57.2°F)57.2°F (14°C) | 6.4 |
| March | 6°C (42.8°F)42.8°F (6°C) | 18.7°C (65.7°F)65.7°F (18.7°C) | 1.1 |
| April | 11°C (51.7°F)51.7°F (11°C) | 25.1°C (77.2°F)77.2°F (25.1°C) | 0.1 |
| May | 16.8°C (62.2°F)62.2°F (16.8°C) | 32.2°C (89.9°F)89.9°F (32.2°C) | 0.0 |
| June | 22.7°C (72.9°F)72.9°F (22.7°C) | 39.4°C (103°F)103°F (39.4°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 26.7°C (80°F)80°F (26.7°C) | 43°C (109.5°F)109.5°F (43°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 26.6°C (79.8°F)79.8°F (26.6°C) | 42.6°C (108.8°F)108.8°F (42.6°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 22°C (71.7°F)71.7°F (22°C) | 37.3°C (99.2°F)99.2°F (37.3°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 16.2°C (61.1°F)61.1°F (16.2°C) | 29.8°C (85.6°F)85.6°F (29.8°C) | 0.0 |
| November | 8.4°C (47.1°F)47.1°F (8.4°C) | 20.2°C (68.3°F)68.3°F (20.2°C) | 0.6 |
| December | 3.7°C (38.6°F)38.6°F (3.7°C) | 14.2°C (57.6°F)57.6°F (14.2°C) | 4.6 |
For basil, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing basil for 'Ākra
- March is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 58 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant basil
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 18°C (64.4°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Keep basil leafy with warmth and regular tip picking
Start with healthy plants and a sunny, drained position. Keep moisture available without leaving the roots waterlogged; yellowing leaves are a reason to inspect roots and leaf undersides before adding fertiliser.
Pinch growing tips above a pair of leaves to encourage branching, and remove flower buds if leaf production is the aim. Where downy mildew has been a problem, look for a cultivar with documented resistance and leave space for airflow.
What to record this season
Which cultivar stayed leafy longest, and when did flowering or leaf disease begin? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: NC State Extension: Ocimum basilicum . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The reference describes plant identity and cultivation. Its regional calendar months and hardiness observations do not validate the calculated dates for another location.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Start with healthy plants and a sunny, drained position. Keep moisture available without leaving the roots waterlogged; yellowing leaves are a reason to inspect roots and leaf undersides before adding fertiliser.
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.
This calendar uses frost-relative offsets as a starting point. Basil are timed from 4 weeks before that frost for an indoor start, with planting out 2 weeks after it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for 'Ākra.
The calendar also applies a soil-warming estimate derived from historical air temperatures. Where that estimate is later than the frost-based date, it delays the window. Soil in your own garden can warm earlier or later; a thermometer at sowing depth is a better final check. Cold, wet conditions can slow germination and increase decay risk.
The median frost-free season here is 291 days, against 50 to 70 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Growing basil in 'Ākra
Can I grow basil in 'Ākra?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. March is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 58 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
When should I plant basil in 'Ākra?
Aim for 11-25 Apr in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 10-24 Apr - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
Can I plant basil earlier in 'Ākra?
The historical frost estimate is 11 Mar. For Basil, an air-temperature model estimates soil warmth of about 18°C (64.4°F) around 11 Apr. This is not a soil measurement or a forecast. Check your bed at sowing depth; cold, wet conditions can slow growth and increase decay risk.
When might basil be ready to harvest in 'Ākra?
The estimated period is 31 May - 20 Jun, based on 50 to 70 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.
How much frost will basil tolerate?
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.