One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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.

In Zone 9a you can determine when to plant caladium by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Caladium

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

You should not plant caladium until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant caladium in Zone 9a is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant caladium and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your caladium may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your caladium indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Zone 9a. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Zone 9a is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Zone 9a there is a last frost after February 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your caladium in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 9a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 9a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 9a.