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.

By using the USDA zone info for Shafter it's a good idea to estimate when it's a good idea to plant impatiens.

Planting Calendar for Impatiens

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

It's not a good idea to plant impatiens until after the last frost because they are not cold tolerant.

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

Last Frost Date

In Shafter the average date of last frost happens on February 15. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Shafter is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Shafter there is a last frost after February 15 be ready to protect your impatiens if you have 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.