Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Berkeley it's a good idea to estimate when it's the best time to plant mustard.

Planting Calendar for Mustard

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

Mustard require warm weather which means that you must wait until it warms up after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant mustard in Berkeley is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant mustard and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your mustard may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your mustard indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Berkeley. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Berkeley may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Berkeley there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to protect your mustard in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Berkeley

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°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 -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Berkeley

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