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 way of making a decision about when it's a good idea to plant asparagus fern is to consult the USDA zone info for Santa Cruz.

Planting Calendar for Asparagus Fern

Frost tolerance for asparagus fern:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

It's not a good idea to plant asparagus fern until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant asparagus fern in Santa Cruz 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 asparagus fern and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your asparagus fern may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your asparagus fern indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Santa Cruz the average date of last frost happens on February 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Cruz may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Santa Cruz you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your asparagus fern in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Cruz

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 Cruz

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