The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out 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.

The USDA zone info for Santa Maria can be read to determine when to plant perilla.

Planting Calendar for Perilla

Frost tolerance for perilla:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You can not plant perilla until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant perilla in Santa Maria 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 perilla and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your perilla may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your perilla indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Remember that USDA zone info for Santa Maria is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Santa Maria you get a frost after February 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your perilla if you have 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.