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.

By using the USDA zone info for Santa Barbara it's possible to estimate when to plant aubrieta.

Planting Calendar for Aubrieta

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

Since aubrieta are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant aubrieta in Santa Barbara 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 aubrieta and expect a good harvest is probably October. Any later than that and your aubrieta may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your aubrieta indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on January 31 in Santa Barbara. It might get as low as 30°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Barbara is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Santa Barbara there is a last frost after January 31 be ready to cover your aubrieta in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Barbara

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 Santa Barbara

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Santa Barbara.