One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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 first opportunity to plant cucumbers in Shafter should be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Cucumbers

Frost tolerance for cucumbers:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

It's not a good idea to plant cucumbers until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant cucumbers 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 cucumbers and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your cucumbers may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your cucumbers indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on February 15 in Shafter. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Shafter and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Shafter last frost occurs after February 15 be ready to cover your cucumbers in the event of a 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.