Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate 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.

One way of determining when you can plant scarlet runner beans is to refer to the USDA zone info for Santa Maria.

Planting Calendar for Scarlet Runner Beans

Frost tolerance for scarlet runner beans:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

It's probably not a good idea to plant scarlet runner beans until after the last frost has passed because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant scarlet runner beans 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 scarlet runner beans and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your scarlet runner beans may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your scarlet runner beans indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on February 15 in Santa Maria. You can expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Maria is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Santa Maria you get a frost after February 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your scarlet runner beans in the event of a late frost.

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.