One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

It's a good idea to figure out when to plant radicchio by referring to the USDA zone info for Orinda.

Planting Calendar for Radicchio

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

Radicchio do well in moderate cold which means that you can plant them a little bit earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant radicchio 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 radicchio and expect a good harvest is probably October. Any later than that and your radicchio may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your radicchio indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on February 15 in Orinda. You should expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Orinda and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Orinda you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your radicchio 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.