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.

A common way of figuring out when you can plant cigar plant is to consult the USDA zone info for Iowa City.

Planting Calendar for Cigar Plant

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

Since cigar plant are not cold tolerant you really should wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant cigar plant in Iowa City is April. However, you really should wait until May 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 August. If you wait any later than that and your cigar plant may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your cigar plant indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Iowa City. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Iowa City and it is different every year. Half of the time in Iowa City you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so always be ready to protect your cigar plant if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Iowa City

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Iowa City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Iowa City.