When to Plant Purslane in Santa Barbara, CA

The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate 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.

The best time to plant purslane in Santa Barbara can be estimated by reviewing the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Purslane

Frost tolerance for purslane: Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant: Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

You can plant purslane just a tiny bit earlier in the year because they do ok in moderate cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant purslane
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant purslane
Probably not a good time to plant purslane

The earliest that you can plant purslane 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 purslane and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your purslane may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your purslane indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Barbara is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Santa Barbara you get surprised by a frost after January 31 be ready to protect your purslane 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 Low30°F
Highest Expected Low35°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.