One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

You can estimate when to plant tropical water plants in Chico by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Tropical Water Plants

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

Tropical Water Plants require warm weather which tells us that you have to wait until it warms up after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant tropical water plants in Chico 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 tropical water plants and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your tropical water plants may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your tropical water plants indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on February 15 in Chico. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Chico is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Chico it frosts late in the year after February 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your tropical water plants 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.