One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Merced it's a good idea to figure out when to plant didiscus.

Planting Calendar for Didiscus

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

Didiscus can survive in mild cold which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant didiscus in Merced 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 didiscus and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your didiscus may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your didiscus indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Merced and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Merced it frosts late in the year after February 15 be ready to protect your didiscus in the event of a 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.