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.

One way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant maltese cross is to examine the USDA zone info for Dade City.

Planting Calendar for Maltese Cross

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

Maltese Cross do well in moderate cold which means that you can plant them earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant maltese cross in Dade City 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 maltese cross and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your maltese cross may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your maltese cross indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on February 15 in Dade City. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Dade City and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Dade City you get a frost after February 15 be ready to protect your maltese cross in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Dade City

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 Dade City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Dade City.