One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Tampa you will be able to estimate when it's the best time to plant bittercress.

Planting Calendar for Bittercress

Frost tolerance for bittercress:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Bittercress are one of those plants that can tolerate a tiny bit of cold weather which tells us that you can get them planted just a bit earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

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

Remember that USDA zone info for Tampa may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Tampa you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your bittercress if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Tampa

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 Tampa

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