One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your 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.

One way of determining when it's a good idea to plant four o' clock is to use the USDA zone info for Santa Paula.

Planting Calendar for Four O' Clock

Frost tolerance for four o' clock:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You really shouldn't plant four o' clock until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant four o' clock in Santa Paula 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 four o' clock and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your four o' clock may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your four o' clock indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Santa Paula the average date of last frost happens on February 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Paula is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Santa Paula you get surprised by a frost after February 15 be ready to protect your four o' clock if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Paula

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 Paula

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