One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

The first opportunity to plant indian cress in Santa Cruz should be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Indian cress

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

Indian cress require warm weather which tells us that you must wait until it warms up after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant indian cress 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 indian cress and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your indian cress may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your indian cress indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit 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 is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Santa Cruz it frosts late in the year after February 15 so always be ready to protect your indian cress 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.