One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Sierra Vista you can determine when it's possible to plant arabis by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Arabis

Frost tolerance for arabis:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Arabis do ok in pretty solid cold which tells us that you can plant them earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant arabis in Sierra Vista is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant arabis and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your arabis may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your arabis indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Sierra Vista. It might get as low as 15°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Sierra Vista and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Sierra Vista you get surprised by a frost after March 15 be ready to protect your arabis in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Sierra Vista

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Sierra Vista

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Sierra Vista.