One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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.

A common way of determining when it's a good idea to plant nolana is to examine the USDA zone info for Santa Clara.

Planting Calendar for Nolana

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

Since nolana are not cold tolerant it is important to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant nolana in Santa Clara is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant nolana and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your nolana may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your nolana 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 February 15 in Santa Clara. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Clara is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Santa Clara there is a last frost after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your nolana if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Clara

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Santa Clara

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