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

A way of determining when to plant chard is to consult the USDA zone info for Ventura.

Planting Calendar for Chard

Frost tolerance for chard:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Chard do well in some cold which means that you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant chard in Ventura 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 chard and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your chard may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your chard indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on January 31 in Ventura. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 30°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Ventura may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Ventura there is a last frost after January 31 so just be sure to be ready to protect your chard if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ventura

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 Ventura

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Ventura.