One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the 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.

In South El Monte you can estimate when to plant begonias by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Begonias

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

It's not a good idea to plant begonias until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant begonias in South El Monte 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 begonias and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your begonias may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your begonias indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In South El Monte the average date of last frost happens on January 31. You can expect an average low temperature of 30°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for South El Monte and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in South El Monte you get surprised by a frost after January 31 be ready to protect your begonias if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for South El Monte

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	30°F
Highest Expected Low	35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 35°F.

Plants to Grow in South El Monte

You may be interested in your other planting guides for South El Monte.