One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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 first chance to plant strawflowers in Melbourne should be estimated by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Strawflowers

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

Strawflowers are barely cold tolerant which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant strawflowers in Melbourne is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant strawflowers and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your strawflowers may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your strawflowers indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Melbourne is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Melbourne you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your strawflowers in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Melbourne

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 Melbourne

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