When to Plant Pyrethrum in Palo Alto, CA

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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.

You can estimate when it's the best time to plant pyrethrum in Palo Alto by checking out the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Pyrethrum

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

Since pyrethrum are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant pyrethrum
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant pyrethrum
Probably not a good time to plant pyrethrum

The earliest that you can plant pyrethrum 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 pyrethrum and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your pyrethrum may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your pyrethrum indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Remember that USDA zone info for Palo Alto is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Palo Alto you get a frost after February 15 so always be ready to cover your pyrethrum in the event of a surprise late frost.

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 Low25°F
Highest Expected Low30°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.