One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your 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.

The USDA zone info for Bakersfield can be used to figure out when it's possible to plant pentas.

Planting Calendar for Pentas

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

You should not plant pentas until after the last frost because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant pentas in Bakersfield 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 pentas and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your pentas may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your pentas indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Bakersfield. You can expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Bakersfield may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Bakersfield last frost occurs after February 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your pentas if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Bakersfield

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Bakersfield

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