One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the 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.

The USDA zone info for Arcata can be reviewed to estimate when it's a good idea to plant bidens.

Planting Calendar for Bidens

Frost tolerance for bidens:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since bidens do not do well in cold weather you really should wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant bidens in Arcata is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant bidens and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your bidens may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your bidens indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on February 15 in Arcata. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Arcata and it changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Arcata last frost occurs after February 15 be ready to cover your bidens in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Arcata

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Arcata

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Arcata.