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

The USDA zone info for Merced can be read to estimate when it's a good idea to plant cabbage.

Planting Calendar for Cabbage

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

You can plant cabbage a little earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant cabbage in Merced 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 cabbage and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your cabbage may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your cabbage indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Merced the average date of last frost happens on February 15. You can expect an average low temperature of 20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Merced is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Merced you get a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your cabbage if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Merced

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 Merced

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