One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the 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.

It's a good idea to estimate when it's the best time to plant scarlet pimpernels by referring to the USDA zone info for Houston.

Planting Calendar for Scarlet Pimpernels

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

You can plant scarlet pimpernels slightly earlier in the year because they do ok in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant scarlet pimpernels in Houston 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 scarlet pimpernels and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your scarlet pimpernels may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your scarlet pimpernels indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Houston the average date of last frost happens on February 15. You can expect an average low temperature of 20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Houston is not always accurate the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Houston it frosts late in the year after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your scarlet pimpernels in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Houston

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Houston

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