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

A way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant decorative kale is to look at the USDA zone info for Ripon.

Planting Calendar for Decorative Kale

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

You can plant decorative kale a little bit earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant decorative kale in Ripon 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 decorative kale and expect a good harvest is probably October. Any later than that and your decorative kale may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your decorative kale indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on February 15 in Ripon. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Ripon may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Ripon you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your decorative kale if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ripon

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 Ripon

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