One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Atascadero you should be able to determine when it's the best time to plant creeping phlox.

Planting Calendar for Creeping Phlox

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

Since creeping phlox do well in cold you can plant them much earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant creeping phlox in Atascadero 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 creeping phlox and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your creeping phlox may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your creeping phlox indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Atascadero the average date of last frost happens on February 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Atascadero may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Atascadero it frosts late in the year after February 15 be ready to protect your creeping phlox if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Atascadero

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 Atascadero

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