One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate 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.

The first chance to plant skullcap in Santa Barbara can be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Skullcap

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

Skullcap do not do well in cold weather which tells us that it is necessary to wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant skullcap 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 skullcap and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your skullcap may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your skullcap indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Barbara is not always accurate the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Santa Barbara it frosts late in the year after January 31 be ready to protect your skullcap if you have one of those late frosts.

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.