The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

It's possible to estimate when it's a good idea to plant four o' clock by looking at the USDA zone info for Merced.

Planting Calendar for Four O' Clock

Frost tolerance for four o' clock:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Four O' Clock do not do well in cold weather which tells us that it's necessary to wait until it warms up after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant four o' clock in Merced is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant four o' clock and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your four o' clock may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your four o' clock indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Merced is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Merced there is a last frost after February 15 be ready to protect your four o' clock in the event of one of those late frosts.

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.