When to Plant Nicotiana in Los Angeles, CA

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 earliest that you can plant nicotiana in Los Angeles can be estimated by referring to the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Nicotiana

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

It's a bad idea to plant nicotiana until after the last frost because they require warm weather.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant nicotiana
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant nicotiana
Probably not a good time to plant nicotiana

The earliest that you can plant nicotiana in Los Angeles is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant nicotiana and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your nicotiana may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your nicotiana indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is January 31 in Los Angeles. It might get as low as 35°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Los Angeles is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Los Angeles you get surprised by a frost after January 31 be ready to cover your nicotiana if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Los Angeles

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)December 15
Lowest Expected Low35°F
Highest Expected Low40°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 40°F.

Plants to Grow in Los Angeles

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Los Angeles.