One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

You can determine when to plant candytuft in Santa Cruz by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Candytuft

Frost tolerance for candytuft:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Since candytuft are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a little earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant candytuft in Santa Cruz is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant candytuft and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your candytuft may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your candytuft indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Santa Cruz. You can expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Santa Cruz is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Santa Cruz there is a last frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your candytuft if you have one of those late frosts.

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.