The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out 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.

A way of figuring out when you can plant cigar plant is to look at the USDA zone info for Champaign.

Planting Calendar for Cigar Plant

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

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

The earliest that you can plant cigar plant in Champaign 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. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your cigar plant may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your cigar plant indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Champaign the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Champaign may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Champaign it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your cigar plant if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Champaign

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 Champaign

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