[mushroom]

hi folks,

I'm growing a row of lemon basil and another of red basil. I forgot about normal basil, but that's beside the point. Some places say basil is perennial others say annual. Is this just down to temperature? Has anyone here managed to overwinter basil in the ground? Bear in mind I'm in the south, seems we don't have real winters here anymore.

[Smudgeboy]

Or summers!

[WG.]

Keeping basil alive in summer is hard enough!  Basil would like to be a perennial but is dead even before the first frosts.  I'll be trying some inside the house this winter.

[Heather_S]

I think lack of light might be more of an issue. Maybe if you have a growlight and can keep it indoors in the warmth too.

[Trillium]

basil is a tender annual, very sensitive to cold. You could dig some up to pot for inside but it never seems to do as well because of the light difference. Best to simply seed some in fresh pots for indoor use. In my winter here I can keep tender Provence lavender if I mulch it very well. The woodier stems don't mind mulch. I suspect basil leaves would quickly rot buried in mulch of any sort because of the soft stems.