One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine 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 way of making a decision about when it's the best time to plant alternanthera is to check out the USDA zone info for Zone 12b.

Planting Calendar for Alternanthera

Frost tolerance for alternanthera:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since alternanthera are not cold tolerant it's necessary to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant alternanthera in Zone 12b 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 alternanthera and expect a good harvest is probably November. If you wait any later than that and your alternanthera may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your alternanthera indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 12b it never frosts. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 55°F.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Zone 12b and it is different every year. Since it never frosts in Zone 12b you do not have to be ready to protect your alternanthera in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 12b

Here is the info for USDA Zone 12b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	Never
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	Never
Lowest Expected Low	55°F
Highest Expected Low	60°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 55°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 60°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 12b

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 12b.