The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A common way of figuring out when you can plant gladiolus is to refer to the USDA zone info for Key West.

Planting Calendar for Gladiolus

Frost tolerance for gladiolus:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since gladiolus are one of those plants that can tolerate a tiny bit of cold weather you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant gladiolus in Key West 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 gladiolus and expect a good harvest is probably November. Any later than that and your gladiolus may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your gladiolus indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Key West it never frosts. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 45°F.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Key West and it will vary from year to year. Since it never frosts in Key West you do not have to be ready to cover your gladiolus if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Key West

Here is the info for USDA Zone 11b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	Never
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	Never
Lowest Expected Low	45°F
Highest Expected Low	50°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 45°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 50°F.

Plants to Grow in Key West

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Key West.