One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of making a decision about when to plant pumpkins is to refer to the USDA zone info for Zone 12b.

Planting Calendar for Pumpkins

Frost tolerance for pumpkins:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since pumpkins require warm weather you really should wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant pumpkins 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 pumpkins and expect a good harvest is probably November. If you wait any later than that and your pumpkins may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your pumpkins indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

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.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Zone 12b and it will vary from year to year. Since it never frosts in Zone 12b you do not have to be ready to cover your pumpkins in the event of a 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.