One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

It's a good idea to estimate when to plant heliotrope by referring to the USDA zone info for South Bay.

Planting Calendar for Heliotrope

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

Since heliotrope are not cold tolerant you must wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant heliotrope in South Bay 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 heliotrope and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your heliotrope may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your heliotrope indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on January 31 in South Bay. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 30°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for South Bay is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in South Bay you get surprised by a frost after January 31 so just be sure to be ready to cover your heliotrope if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for South Bay

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 South Bay

You may be interested in your other planting guides for South Bay.