One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about your gardening schedule is find your 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.

You will be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant elephant ears by looking at the USDA zone info for New Smyrna Beach.

Planting Calendar for Elephant Ears

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

Since elephant ears do not do well in cold weather you really should wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant elephant ears in New Smyrna Beach is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant elephant ears and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your elephant ears may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your elephant ears indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on February 15 in New Smyrna Beach. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for New Smyrna Beach is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in New Smyrna Beach there is a last frost after February 15 be ready to cover your elephant ears if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for New Smyrna Beach

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 New Smyrna Beach

You may be interested in your other planting guides for New Smyrna Beach.