Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A common way of determining when to plant oenothera is to use the USDA zone info for South Houston.

Planting Calendar for Oenothera

Frost tolerance for oenothera:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Oenothera do well in moderate cold which tells us that you can get them planted earlier than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant oenothera in South Houston is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant oenothera and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your oenothera may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your oenothera indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in South Houston. You should expect an average low temperature of 20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for South Houston may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in South Houston last frost occurs after February 15 be ready to cover your oenothera in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for South Houston

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 25°F.

Plants to Grow in South Houston

You may be interested in your other planting guides for South Houston.