One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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.

In Shafter you can estimate when to plant achillea by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Achillea

Frost tolerance for achillea:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since achillea are one of those plants that can tolerate quite a bit of cold weather you can plant them much earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant achillea in Shafter 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 achillea and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your achillea may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your achillea indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Shafter the average date of last frost happens on February 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Shafter is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Shafter you get surprised by a frost after February 15 be ready to protect your achillea in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Shafter

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 Shafter

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