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.

The USDA zone info for Key West can be used to estimate when you can plant heliotrope.

Planting Calendar for Heliotrope

Frost tolerance for heliotrope:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

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

The earliest that you can plant heliotrope 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 heliotrope and expect a good harvest is probably November. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your heliotrope may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your heliotrope indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Key West is not always accurate the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since it never frosts in Key West you do not have to be ready to protect your heliotrope 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.