One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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 using the USDA zone info for San Diego it's possible to figure out when to plant santolina.

Planting Calendar for Santolina

Frost tolerance for santolina:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since santolina do well in cold you can plant them a lot earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant santolina in San Diego 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 santolina and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your santolina may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your santolina indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in San Diego. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for San Diego may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in San Diego you get a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your santolina if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for San Diego

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 San Diego

You may be interested in your other planting guides for San Diego.