One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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.

A common way of estimating when to plant tithonia is to refer to the USDA zone info for Santa Cruz.

Planting Calendar for Tithonia

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

Since tithonia do not do well in cold weather it is necessary to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on February 15 in Santa Cruz. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Santa Cruz is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Santa Cruz you get surprised by a frost after February 15 be ready to cover your tithonia in the event of one of those late frosts.

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.