One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of figuring out when it's possible to plant portulaca is to refer to the USDA zone info for Vero Beach.

Planting Calendar for Portulaca

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

You really shouldn't plant portulaca until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant portulaca in Vero Beach 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 portulaca and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your portulaca may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your portulaca indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is January 31 in Vero Beach. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 30°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Vero Beach is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Vero Beach there is a last frost after January 31 be ready to protect your portulaca if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Vero Beach

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 Vero Beach

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Vero Beach.