Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of getting a good idea when to plant broccoli is to examine the USDA zone info for Hercules.

Planting Calendar for Broccoli

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

Broccoli tend to make it in moderate cold which means that you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant broccoli in Hercules 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 broccoli and expect a good harvest is probably October. Any later than that and your broccoli may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your broccoli indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Hercules. You should expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Hercules may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Hercules it frosts late in the year after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your broccoli if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Hercules

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Hercules

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