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 Elsa can be used to determine when you can plant oenothera.

Planting Calendar for Oenothera

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

You can plant oenothera a bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant oenothera in Elsa is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant oenothera and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your oenothera may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your oenothera indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on February 15 in Elsa. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Elsa and it will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Elsa last frost occurs after February 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your oenothera if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Elsa

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Elsa

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