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.

A way of getting a good idea when it's a good idea to plant cerastium is to check out the USDA zone info for Sarasota.

Planting Calendar for Cerastium

Frost tolerance for cerastium:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Cerastium are moderately cold tolerant which means that you can start planting them earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant cerastium in Sarasota 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 cerastium and expect a good harvest is probably October. Any later than that and your cerastium may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your cerastium 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 Sarasota. You should expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Sarasota is not always accurate the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Sarasota last frost occurs after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your cerastium in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Sarasota

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 Sarasota

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