When to Plant Asters in Napa, CA

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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Napa you should be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant asters.


Planting Calendar for Asters

Frost tolerance for asters: Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant: Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Asters are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather which tells us that you can plant them a little bit earlier than more sensitive plants.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant asters
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant asters
Probably not a good time to plant asters

The earliest that you can plant asters in Napa is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant asters and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your asters may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your asters indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Napa. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Napa is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Napa you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your asters if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Napa

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 Low25°F
Highest Expected Low30°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 Napa

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