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.

In Santa Cruz you can determine when to plant red cabbage by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Red cabbage

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

Red cabbage can survive in a bit of cold which tells us that you can plant them quite a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant red cabbage 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 red cabbage and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your red cabbage may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your red cabbage indoors.

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.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Santa Cruz may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost changes 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 ready to protect your red cabbage 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.