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 Westminster should be reffered to in order to determine when it's a good idea to plant shallots.

Planting Calendar for Shallots

Frost tolerance for shallots:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since shallots do ok in moderate cold you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant shallots in Westminster is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant shallots and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your shallots may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your shallots indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Westminster the average date of last frost happens on January 31. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 35°F.

Keep in mind 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 Westminster and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Westminster last frost occurs after January 31 be ready to cover your shallots in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Westminster

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	35°F
Highest Expected Low	40°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 40°F.

Plants to Grow in Westminster

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Westminster.