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.

A way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant snap beans is to refer to the USDA zone info for Monterey.

Planting Calendar for Snap beans

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

Snap beans do not do well in cold weather which means 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 snap beans in Monterey 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 snap beans and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your snap beans may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your snap beans indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is January 31 in Monterey. It might get as low as 30°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Monterey may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Monterey you get surprised by a frost after January 31 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your snap beans in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Monterey

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	30°F
Highest Expected Low	35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 35°F.

Plants to Grow in Monterey

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