Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Albany can be reffered to in order to figure out when it's the best time to plant arctotis.

Planting Calendar for Arctotis

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

Arctotis do ok in moderate cold which tells us that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant arctotis in Albany 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 arctotis and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your arctotis may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your arctotis indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Albany. It might get as low as 15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Albany may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Albany there is a last frost after March 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your arctotis in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Albany

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Albany

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