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.

In Ridgecrest you can figure out when it's a good idea to plant brachycome by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Brachycome

Frost tolerance for brachycome:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since brachycome do not do well in cold weather you must wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant brachycome in Ridgecrest is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant brachycome and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your brachycome may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your brachycome indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Ridgecrest. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Ridgecrest may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Ridgecrest last frost occurs after March 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your brachycome if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ridgecrest

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Ridgecrest

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