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.

It's possible to determine when you can plant scallions by using the USDA zone info for Santa Barbara.

Planting Calendar for Scallions

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

Scallions do ok in mild cold which means that you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant scallions 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 scallions and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your scallions may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your scallions indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Santa Barbara the average date of last frost happens on January 31. It might get as low as 30°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Barbara may not be accurate from year to year 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 protect your scallions 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.