One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Santa Monica can be used to figure out when it's possible to plant bishop's weed.

Planting Calendar for Bishop's Weed

Frost tolerance for bishop's weed:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Bishop's Weed are very cold tolerant which means that you can start planting them much earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant bishop's weed in Santa Monica 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 bishop's weed and expect a good harvest is probably October. Any later than that and your bishop's weed may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your bishop's weed indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Santa Monica the average date of last frost happens on January 31. You can expect an average low temperature of 35°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Monica is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Santa Monica last frost occurs after January 31 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your bishop's weed if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Monica

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	35°F
Highest Expected Low	40°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 40°F.

Plants to Grow in Santa Monica

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