Stock · Tai Po, Tai Po, Hong Kong

When to plant stocks in Tai Po

Main outdoor window

1 Nov - 16 Dec

A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.

Timed from temperature

November to April

No frost on record in Tai Po, so the months this crop fits in our temperature model set the timing. This does not confirm local suitability.

First flowers

20 Jan - 19 Feb

If you plant at the start of the window.

Temperature-based estimate. Tai Po has no dependable frost season. These dates do not account for rain, humidity or waterlogging. Check the local growing season, especially in monsoon climates, before treating this window as a planting recommendation.
Rainfall check: the wettest month is June (about 282 mm), and the driest is December (about 25 mm). Compare all months and check the limitations before choosing the season.

Step by step in Tai Po

Download these planting dates (.ics)

Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.

Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.

Plant out

1 Nov - 16 Dec

The opening weeks of the stretch when the average temperature suits this crop, which here runs from November to April. There is no frost to work around, so heat is what sets the timing.

In flower

20 Jan - 19 Feb

Frost tolerance
Hardy
Damaged below
-8°C (17.6°F)
Days to flowering
80–110
Hardy to
Zone 5a–10a
Spacing
25 cm
Sowing depth
2 mm (0.1 in)
Sun
Full

Stocks through the year

Against the monthly temperature record in Tai Po

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Frost risk Plant out Harvest Today
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Seasonal context

Rainfall and the growing season in Tai Po

June has the highest average precipitation (282 mm); December has the lowest (25 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.

Jan 36 mm
Feb 29 mm
Mar 73 mm
Apr 103 mm
May 211 mm
Jun 282 mm
Jul 185 mm
Aug 219 mm
Sep 159 mm
Oct 48 mm
Nov 30 mm
Dec 25 mm

During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.

Frost-free does not mean every month is suitable. In tropical and monsoon climates, rainfall, heat, drainage and the cultivar can set the practical growing season. Match the temperature window to these conditions and check advice from a local grower before buying planting material.

Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.

Monthly growing conditions in Tai Po

Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.

NASA POWER climate averages, 1995–2024
MonthAverage lowAverage highFrost days
January 12.8°C (55°F) 20°C (68°F) 0.0
February 14.5°C (58.1°F) 21.2°C (70.1°F) 0.0
March 17.5°C (63.5°F) 23.7°C (74.6°F) 0.0
April 20.9°C (69.6°F) 26.3°C (79.4°F) 0.0
May 24.1°C (75.3°F) 28.6°C (83.4°F) 0.0
June 26.4°C (79.6°F) 29.6°C (85.4°F) 0.0
July 27°C (80.6°F) 30.3°C (86.5°F) 0.0
August 26.8°C (80.2°F) 30.2°C (86.3°F) 0.0
September 25.6°C (78°F) 29.8°C (85.7°F) 0.0
October 22.4°C (72.4°F) 28.1°C (82.5°F) 0.0
November 18.5°C (65.3°F) 25.2°C (77.4°F) 0.0
December 13.6°C (56.5°F) 21.1°C (70°F) 0.0

For stocks, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.

Local growing check

Before choosing stocks for Tai Po

  • June is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 282 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.

The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.

Before you plant stocks

Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.

  • In a frost-free climate, check seasonal rainfall, humidity and heat before planting. A month with suitable average temperatures can still be too wet, dry or hot for this crop.
  • Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
  • Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.

Choose stock for a cool flowering season and the right stem type

Use fertile, drained soil and a bright position during a suitable cool growing period. Keep moisture available without waterlogging roots. Sustained heat, particularly warm nights, can shorten the useful display, so a frost-free date alone does not prove suitability.

Compare small sowing batches if a longer supply of flowers is wanted. Record the strain, sowing date and first usable stem rather than mixing results from branching and single-stem types. If hot conditions end the display, investigate a cooler planting season before adding more fertiliser.

What to record this season

Which strain and sowing batch gave useful flowers before sustained heat arrived? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.

Further reading: NC State Extension: Matthiola incana . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.

The reference describes plant identity and cultivation. Its regional calendar months and hardiness observations do not validate the calculated dates for another location.

How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy

Why these dates

Frost-relative timing needs a dependable seasonal frost date. Tai Po has no such date in this record, so this page compares monthly temperatures with the crop's model range instead. Local wet and dry seasons, day length and cultivar requirements still need a separate check.

The model uses a growing-temperature band for stocks between 5°C (41°F) and 25°C (77°F) — and in Tai Po that is November to April, 6 months of the year, taken from this location's own monthly averages. The planting window begins near the start of this period. The catalog estimate is 80 to 110 days from planting to flowering under suitable conditions.

Tai Po sits in zone 11a, which is above the catalog range. Confirm the exact cultivar locally; a zone number alone cannot measure summer heat or winter chill. The calculated dates do not confirm that this crop is suitable here. Check cultivar requirements and local growing experience before planting.

See every crop timed for Tai Po →

Growing stocks in Tai Po

Can I grow stocks in Tai Po?

The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. June is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 282 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.

When should I plant stocks in Tai Po?

The temperature-based window is 1 Nov - 16 Dec. Tai Po has no dependable frost season: November to April have monthly averages inside the model range for stocks. Check seasonal rainfall, heat and cultivar requirements before planting.

When might stocks flower in Tai Po?

The estimated period is 20 Jan - 19 Feb, based on 80 to 110 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.

How much frost will stocks tolerate?

Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.