One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

A common way of making a decision about when it's a good idea to plant fuchsia is to refer to the USDA zone info for Sarasota.

Planting Calendar for Fuchsia

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

Since fuchsia require warm weather it is necessary to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant fuchsia in Sarasota 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 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 fully mature. Starting your fuchsia indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Sarasota is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Sarasota you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your fuchsia in the event of one of those late frosts.

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.