When to Plant California Poppy in Zone 1a

One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The best time to plant california poppy in Zone 1a should be determined by using the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for California Poppy

Frost tolerance for california poppy: Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant: Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

California Poppy are barely cold tolerant which means that you can get them planted just a bit earlier than more sensitive plants.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant california poppy
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant california poppy
Probably not a good time to plant california poppy

The earliest that you can plant california poppy in Zone 1a is June. However, you really should wait until July if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant california poppy and expect a good harvest is probably July. Any later than that and your california poppy may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your california poppy indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on June 15 in Zone 1a. It might get as low as -60°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Zone 1a and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Zone 1a there is a last frost after June 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your california poppy in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 1a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 1a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)June 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)July 15
Lowest Expected Low-60°F
Highest Expected Low-55°F

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

Plants to Grow in Zone 1a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 1a.