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 will be able to estimate when to plant chrysanthemums by checking out the USDA zone info for El Centro.

Planting Calendar for Chrysanthemums

Frost tolerance for chrysanthemums:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Chrysanthemums are barely cold tolerant which tells us that you can get them planted just a bit earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant chrysanthemums in El Centro 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 chrysanthemums and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your chrysanthemums may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your chrysanthemums indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for El Centro is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in El Centro you get a frost after January 31 be ready to cover your chrysanthemums if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for El Centro

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 El Centro

You may be interested in your other planting guides for El Centro.