One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your 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.

The USDA zone info for Santa Barbara should be reffered to in order to estimate when it's possible to plant millet.

Planting Calendar for Millet

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

Millet do not do well in cold weather which means that it's necessary to wait until it warms up after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant millet in Santa Barbara 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 millet and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your millet may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your millet indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Santa Barbara may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Santa Barbara it frosts late in the year after January 31 so make sure that you are ready to protect your millet if you have a surprise 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.