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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Sanibel you should be able to figure out when to plant fuchsia.

Planting Calendar for Fuchsia

Frost tolerance for fuchsia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

You can not plant fuchsia until after all chance of frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant fuchsia in Sanibel 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 fuchsia and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your fuchsia may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your fuchsia indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Sanibel the average date of last frost happens on January 31. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 30°F.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Sanibel is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Sanibel you get surprised by a frost after January 31 be ready to protect your fuchsia if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Sanibel

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	30°F
Highest Expected Low	35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 35°F.

Plants to Grow in Sanibel

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