The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of determining when it's a good idea to plant maltese cross is to consult the USDA zone info for Chico.

Planting Calendar for Maltese Cross

Frost tolerance for maltese cross:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

You can plant maltese cross just a bit earlier in the year because they do well in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant maltese cross in Chico is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant maltese cross and expect a good harvest is probably October. Any later than that and your maltese cross may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your maltese cross indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Chico is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Chico last frost occurs after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your maltese cross in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Chico

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 Chico

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