Greengage · Shiqiao, Guangdong, China
When to plant greengages in Shiqiao
Check a locally proven cultivar before planting. Shiqiao has a coolest monthly mean of about 14.9°C, so winter suitability needs attention. The calendar does not predict reliable flowering or harvest here.
Before choosing a date
Check winter suitability
A calculated window cannot confirm flowering or cropping here.
Timed from last spring frost
10 January
In Shiqiao, on your chosen risk.
Local outcome
Not confirmed
No flowering or harvest date is predicted until cultivar suitability is established.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Shiqiao
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Plant the tree
23-27 Dec
Conditional temperature-model window: check winter and cultivar suitability before planting. Any time the plant is dormant and the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged: after leaf fall in autumn, or at the end of winter before growth restarts.
Greengages through the year
Against the frost risk in Shiqiao
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Shiqiao
June has the highest average precipitation (331 mm); December has the lowest (30 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in Shiqiao
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.9°C (48°F)48°F (8.9°C) | 20.9°C (69.5°F)69.5°F (20.9°C) | 0.2 |
| February | 11.4°C (52.5°F)52.5°F (11.4°C) | 23.1°C (73.5°F)73.5°F (23.1°C) | 0.0 |
| March | 15.3°C (59.6°F)59.6°F (15.3°C) | 26.5°C (79.8°F)79.8°F (26.5°C) | 0.0 |
| April | 19.4°C (67°F)67°F (19.4°C) | 29.3°C (84.7°F)84.7°F (29.3°C) | 0.0 |
| May | 22.7°C (72.9°F)72.9°F (22.7°C) | 30.6°C (87.1°F)87.1°F (30.6°C) | 0.0 |
| June | 25.1°C (77.2°F)77.2°F (25.1°C) | 31°C (87.8°F)87.8°F (31°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 25.5°C (77.9°F)77.9°F (25.5°C) | 31.7°C (89°F)89°F (31.7°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 25.3°C (77.5°F)77.5°F (25.3°C) | 31.6°C (88.9°F)88.9°F (31.6°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 23.5°C (74.4°F)74.4°F (23.5°C) | 30.8°C (87.5°F)87.5°F (30.8°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 19.4°C (66.9°F)66.9°F (19.4°C) | 29°C (84.2°F)84.2°F (29°C) | 0.0 |
| November | 14.8°C (58.7°F)58.7°F (14.8°C) | 26.3°C (79.3°F)79.3°F (26.3°C) | 0.0 |
| December | 9.4°C (48.9°F)48.9°F (9.4°C) | 21.7°C (71°F)71°F (21.7°C) | 0.3 |
For greengages, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing greengages for Shiqiao
- The coolest monthly mean is about 14.9°C. This is a warm-winter screening signal, not a measured chill-hour total. Confirm the exact cultivar with a local grower before buying; the dates below only describe the temperature model.
- June is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 331 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant greengages
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
- Check the cultivar’s winter chill requirement with a local nursery. Hardiness zones measure winter cold, not chill hours; this site does not calculate a local chill-hour total.
- Check mature size, drainage and cultivar suitability before choosing a permanent position. A suitable planting window does not guarantee long-term survival or fruiting.
Choose the greengage cultivar and pollination plan together
Select a suitable rootstock and confirm pollination requirements with the nursery. Provide sun, drained soil and enough space to maintain an accessible canopy. A locally successful cultivar is a better starting point than an unnamed seedling.
Check softness and flavour as fruit reaches maturity, handling it gently. Inspect for damaged or rotting fruit and follow local plum-pruning guidance. Record the point at which the crop tasted best so next year's harvest is based on more than the calendar.
What to record this season
At what texture and flavour was the green or yellow-green fruit actually ripe? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: RHS plums growing guide . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The RHS reference is written for UK growing conditions. Use its cultivation advice with local seasonal guidance; UK sowing months are not worldwide planting dates.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Select a suitable rootstock and confirm pollination requirements with the nursery. Provide sun, drained soil and enough space to maintain an accessible canopy. A locally successful cultivar is a better starting point than an unnamed seedling.
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.
Greengages are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. What matters in Shiqiao is the shape of the year: this crop is dormant through the winter and is planted while it sleeps, any time between leaf fall in autumn and the restart of growth in spring, so long as the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. That is why the window below spans the cold months rather than sitting in the middle of the growing season.
Shiqiao sits in zone 10a, which is above the catalog range. Confirm the exact cultivar locally; a zone number alone cannot measure summer heat or winter chill. The calculated dates do not confirm that this crop is suitable here. Check cultivar requirements and local growing experience before planting.
One caution specific to warm climates: this crop needs roughly 700 hours below 7.2°C (45°F)45°F (7.2°C) over winter before it will flower properly, and the coldest month in Shiqiao averages 14.9°C (58.8°F)58.8°F (14.9°C). This site does not calculate local chill hours. Check the exact cultivar with a knowledgeable local nursery; a monthly average cannot establish that its chilling requirement is met.
The general establishment guide is around year 3, under suitable conditions. This is not a prediction for this location; cultivar, winter conditions and care determine whether it crops reliably.
Also in Shiqiao
Other fruits to time
Growing greengages in Shiqiao
Can I grow greengages in Shiqiao?
The coolest monthly mean is about 14.9°C. This is a warm-winter screening signal, not a measured chill-hour total. Confirm the exact cultivar with a local grower before buying; the dates below only describe the temperature model. June is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 331 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
When should I plant greengages in Shiqiao?
Aim for 23-27 Dec in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 19 Dec - 17 Jan - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
How much frost will greengages tolerate?
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.