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

In Moorpark you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant monarda by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Monarda

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

You can plant monarda slightly earlier in the year because they do ok in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant monarda in Moorpark 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 monarda and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your monarda may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your monarda indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on February 15 in Moorpark. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Moorpark may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Moorpark it frosts late in the year after February 15 so always be ready to cover your monarda in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Moorpark

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Moorpark

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