The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine 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.

In Richmond you can figure out when it's a good idea to plant four o' clock by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Four O' Clock

Frost tolerance for four o' clock:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Four O' Clock are not cold tolerant which tells us that it's important to wait until it warms up after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant four o' clock in Richmond 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 four o' clock and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your four o' clock may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your four o' clock indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is January 31 in Richmond. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 30°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Richmond is not always accurate the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Richmond you get surprised by a frost after January 31 be ready to protect your four o' clock in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Richmond

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 Richmond

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Richmond.