One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

A common way of figuring out when you can plant aubrieta is to consult the USDA zone info for Chico.

Planting Calendar for Aubrieta

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

Aubrieta are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather which tells us that you can plant them a little bit earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant aubrieta in Chico 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 aubrieta and expect a good harvest is probably October. Any later than that and your aubrieta may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your aubrieta indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on February 15 in Chico. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Chico is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Chico last frost occurs after February 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your aubrieta if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Chico

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 Chico

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