When to Plant California Poppy in Carolina Beach, NC

One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

You can determine when you can plant california poppy in Carolina Beach by reviewing the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for California Poppy

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

California Poppy can survive in some cold which tells us that you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant california poppy
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant california poppy
Probably not a good time to plant california poppy

The earliest that you can plant california poppy in Carolina Beach is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant california poppy and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your california poppy may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your california poppy indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Carolina Beach. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Carolina Beach is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Carolina Beach you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your california poppy if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Carolina Beach

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)November 15
Lowest Expected Low10°F
Highest Expected Low15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Carolina Beach

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