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.

You should be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant tropical water plants by using the USDA zone info for Orange.

Planting Calendar for Tropical Water Plants

Frost tolerance for tropical water plants:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's not a good idea to plant tropical water plants until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant tropical water plants in Orange 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 tropical water plants and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your tropical water plants may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your tropical water plants indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Orange the average date of last frost happens on January 31. You should expect an average low temperature of 30°F in the coldest months of winter.

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

USDA Zone Info for Orange

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 Orange

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