Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate 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.

A way of determining when you can plant cauliflower is to examine the USDA zone info for South Portland.

Planting Calendar for Cauliflower

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

Cauliflower can survive 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 cauliflower in South Portland 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 cauliflower and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your cauliflower may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your cauliflower indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in South Portland. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for South Portland is an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in South Portland it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to cover your cauliflower if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for South Portland

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 South Portland

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