One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine 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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Berkeley you should be able to estimate when you can plant iresene.

Planting Calendar for Iresene

Frost tolerance for iresene:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since iresene do not do well in cold weather you must wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant iresene in Berkeley 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 iresene and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your iresene may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your iresene indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is January 31 in Berkeley. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 30°F.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Berkeley and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Berkeley last frost occurs after January 31 be ready to protect your iresene if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Berkeley

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	30°F
Highest Expected Low	35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 35°F.

Plants to Grow in Berkeley

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