One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

By checking out the USDA zone info for Hillsborough you should be able to figure out when it's the best time to plant decorative kale.

Planting Calendar for Decorative Kale

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

Since decorative kale are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a little earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant decorative kale in Hillsborough 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 decorative kale and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your decorative kale may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your decorative kale indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Hillsborough. It might get as low as 5°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Hillsborough is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Hillsborough you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your decorative kale in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Hillsborough

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	5°F
Highest Expected Low	10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Hillsborough

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