Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. 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 leeks in Santa Cruz should be estimated by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Leeks

Frost tolerance for leeks:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

You can plant leeks earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate quite a bit of cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant leeks 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 leeks and expect a good harvest is probably October. Any later than that and your leeks may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your leeks indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on February 15 in Santa Cruz. You should expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Cruz is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Santa Cruz last frost occurs after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your leeks 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.