One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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.

The USDA zone info for Zone 12b can be used to determine when you can plant arabis.

Planting Calendar for Arabis

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

Since arabis do well in cold you can plant them quite a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant arabis 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 arabis and expect a good harvest is probably November. If you wait any later than that and your arabis may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your arabis indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Zone 12b is not always accurate the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since it never frosts in Zone 12b you do not have to be ready to cover your arabis if you have 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.