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.

In Santa Cruz you can determine when it's a good idea to plant crossandra by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Crossandra

Frost tolerance for crossandra:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since crossandra are not cold tolerant you have to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant crossandra 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 crossandra and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your crossandra may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your crossandra 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. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Cruz is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Santa Cruz last frost occurs after February 15 be ready to cover your crossandra in the event of a 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.