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.

The USDA zone info for Shafter can be used to figure out when you can plant cigar plant.

Planting Calendar for Cigar Plant

Frost tolerance for cigar plant:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's probably not a good idea to plant cigar plant until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant cigar plant 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 cigar plant and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your cigar plant may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your cigar plant indoors.

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.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Shafter is an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Shafter last frost occurs after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your cigar plant 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.