Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of making a decision about when to plant flowering tobacco is to look at the USDA zone info for Santa Maria.

Planting Calendar for Flowering Tobacco

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

Since flowering tobacco require warm weather it's important to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant flowering tobacco in Santa Maria 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 flowering tobacco and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your flowering tobacco may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your flowering tobacco indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Santa Maria. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Santa Maria is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Santa Maria you get a frost after February 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your flowering tobacco if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Maria

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 Santa Maria

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Santa Maria.