Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Newport Beach you can estimate when it's the best time to plant thyme by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Thyme

Frost tolerance for thyme:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Thyme are very cold tolerant which means that you can start planting them much earlier than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant thyme in Newport Beach 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 thyme and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your thyme may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your thyme indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is January 31 in Newport Beach. It might get as low as 35°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Newport Beach is an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Newport Beach it frosts late in the year after January 31 be ready to protect your thyme if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Newport Beach

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 Newport Beach

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Newport Beach.