The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out 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 making a decision about when to plant chrysocephalum is to use the USDA zone info for Shafter.

Planting Calendar for Chrysocephalum

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

Since chrysocephalum are not cold tolerant it is necessary to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant chrysocephalum in Shafter 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 chrysocephalum and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your chrysocephalum may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your chrysocephalum 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 Shafter. You should expect an average low temperature of 20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Shafter may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Shafter you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so always be ready to protect your chrysocephalum in the event of one of those late frosts.

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.