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 the best time to plant radicchio is to consult the USDA zone info for Waterford.

Planting Calendar for Radicchio

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

Radicchio do ok in moderate cold which tells us that you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant radicchio in Waterford 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 radicchio and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your radicchio may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your radicchio indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on February 15 in Waterford. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Waterford is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Waterford you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your radicchio in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Waterford

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 Waterford

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