One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

One way of making a decision about when it's a good idea to plant alstromeria is to refer to the USDA zone info for Novato.

Planting Calendar for Alstromeria

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

Alstromeria can survive in mild cold which tells us that you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant alstromeria in Novato 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 alstromeria and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your alstromeria may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your alstromeria indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Novato is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Novato you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your alstromeria in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Novato

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 Novato

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