One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Cocoa you should be able to estimate when it's a good idea to plant heliotrope.

Planting Calendar for Heliotrope

Frost tolerance for heliotrope:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since heliotrope require warm weather it's necessary to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant heliotrope in Cocoa 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 heliotrope and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your heliotrope may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your heliotrope indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Cocoa. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Cocoa is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Cocoa you get a frost after February 15 be ready to protect your heliotrope in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Cocoa

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 Cocoa

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