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.

A common way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant aubrieta is to check out the USDA zone info for Portsmouth.

Planting Calendar for Aubrieta

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

Since aubrieta do well in moderate cold you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant aubrieta in Portsmouth 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 aubrieta and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your aubrieta may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your aubrieta indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Portsmouth the average date of last frost happens on March 15. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Portsmouth is an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Portsmouth you get surprised by a frost after March 15 be ready to protect your aubrieta if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Portsmouth

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 Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°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 Portsmouth

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