One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

You can determine when to plant dahlias in Mission Viejo by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Dahlias

Frost tolerance for dahlias:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Dahlias do not do well in cold weather which means that you need to wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dahlias in Mission Viejo 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 dahlias and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your dahlias may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your dahlias indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on January 31 in Mission Viejo. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 35°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Mission Viejo may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Mission Viejo it frosts late in the year after January 31 so make sure that you are ready to cover your dahlias in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Mission Viejo

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	35°F
Highest Expected Low	40°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 40°F.

Plants to Grow in Mission Viejo

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Mission Viejo.