One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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.

You can estimate when it's a good idea to plant tithonia in Merced by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Tithonia

Frost tolerance for tithonia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Since tithonia require warm weather you have to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant tithonia 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 tithonia and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your tithonia may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your tithonia indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Remember that USDA zone info for Merced may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Merced there is a last frost after February 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your tithonia 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.