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.

A way of making a decision about when to plant chrysanthemum is to consult the USDA zone info for San Marcos.

Planting Calendar for Chrysanthemum

Frost tolerance for chrysanthemum:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You really shouldn't plant chrysanthemum until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant chrysanthemum in San Marcos 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 chrysanthemum and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your chrysanthemum may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your chrysanthemum indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on January 31 in San Marcos. You should expect an average low temperature of 30°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for San Marcos is just an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in San Marcos there is a last frost after January 31 be ready to cover your chrysanthemum if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for San Marcos

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 San Marcos

You may be interested in your other planting guides for San Marcos.