Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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 USDA zone info for Santa Maria should be looked at to determine when it's a good idea to plant dill.

Planting Calendar for Dill

Frost tolerance for dill:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Dill are barely cold tolerant which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant dill in Santa Maria is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant dill and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your dill may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your dill indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Santa Maria 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 Maria is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Santa Maria last frost occurs after February 15 be ready to cover your dill in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Maria

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 Maria

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Santa Maria.