One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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 best time to plant stevia in Chico can be estimated by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Stevia

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

You really shouldn't plant stevia until after the last frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Chico. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Chico is not always accurate the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Chico it frosts late in the year after February 15 be ready to cover your stevia in the event of a 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.