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

A common way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant cigar plant is to consult the USDA zone info for Helena.

Planting Calendar for Cigar Plant

Frost tolerance for cigar plant:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You really shouldn't plant cigar plant until after the last frost has passed because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant cigar plant in Helena is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant cigar plant and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your cigar plant may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your cigar plant indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on March 15 in Helena. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Helena is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Helena last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to protect your cigar plant if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Helena

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Helena

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Helena.