The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of estimating when it's possible to plant mecardonia is to refer to the USDA zone info for Portola Valley.

Planting Calendar for Mecardonia

Frost tolerance for mecardonia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

It's probably not a good idea to plant mecardonia until after the last frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant mecardonia in Portola Valley is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant mecardonia and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your mecardonia may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your mecardonia indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Portola Valley the average date of last frost happens on January 31. It might get as low as 30°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Portola Valley is an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Portola Valley you get a frost after January 31 so always be ready to cover your mecardonia in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Portola Valley

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	30°F
Highest Expected Low	35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 35°F.

Plants to Grow in Portola Valley

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Portola Valley.