The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of determining when it's the best time to plant salpiglossis is to use the USDA zone info for Shafter.

Planting Calendar for Salpiglossis

Frost tolerance for salpiglossis:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

It's not a good idea to plant salpiglossis until after the last frost has passed because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant salpiglossis 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 salpiglossis and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your salpiglossis may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your salpiglossis indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Shafter is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Shafter it frosts late in the year after February 15 be ready to protect your salpiglossis 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.