One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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.

It's a good idea to estimate when to plant coreopsis by looking at the USDA zone info for Palo Alto.

Planting Calendar for Coreopsis

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

Coreopsis do well in moderate cold which tells us that you can plant them earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant coreopsis in Palo Alto 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 coreopsis and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your coreopsis may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your coreopsis indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Palo Alto the average date of last frost happens on February 15. You can expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Palo Alto is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Palo Alto you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your coreopsis if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Palo Alto

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 Palo Alto

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Palo Alto.