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 Orinda you can figure out when it's possible to plant oenothera by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Oenothera

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

You can plant oenothera a little bit earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant oenothera in Orinda 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 oenothera and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your oenothera may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your oenothera indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Orinda. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Orinda may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Orinda last frost occurs after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your oenothera if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Orinda

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 Orinda

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