Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Palo Alto you can estimate when it's possible to plant leeks by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Leeks

Frost tolerance for leeks:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since leeks do well in cold you can plant them earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant leeks 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 leeks and expect a good harvest is probably October. Any later than that and your leeks may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your leeks indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Palo Alto is not always accurate 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 always be ready to cover your leeks 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.