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.

The first opportunity to plant chives in Los Altos can be figured out by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Chives

Frost tolerance for chives:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Chives do well in cold which means that you can plant them much earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant chives in Los Altos 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 chives and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your chives may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your chives indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Los Altos the average date of last frost happens on February 15. You can expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Los Altos may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Los Altos there is a last frost after February 15 so always be ready to protect your chives if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Los Altos

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 Los Altos

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Los Altos.