One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Islamorada you can determine when it's the best time to plant portulaca by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Portulaca

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

Portulaca are not cold tolerant which means that it is important to wait until it warms up after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

Last Frost Date

In Islamorada it never frosts. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 40°F.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Islamorada and it changes from year to year. Since it never frosts in Islamorada you do not have to be ready to cover your portulaca if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Islamorada

Here is the info for USDA Zone 11a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	Never
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	Never
Lowest Expected Low	40°F
Highest Expected Low	45°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 40°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 45°F.

Plants to Grow in Islamorada

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