The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A common way of determining when you can plant nolana is to look at the USDA zone info for Santa Cruz.

Planting Calendar for Nolana

Frost tolerance for nolana:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since nolana are not cold tolerant it's important to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant nolana 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 nolana and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your nolana may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your nolana indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Santa Cruz and it is different every 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 nolana 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.