Mandarin · 'Ākra, Nineveh, Iraq
When to plant mandarins in 'Ākra
Main outdoor window
11 Mar - 8 Apr
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
25 February
In 'Ākra, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Nov - 28 Feb
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in 'Ākra
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
11 Mar - 8 Apr
After the last frost, once the soil has warmed. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
Harvest
1 Nov - 28 Feb
Mandarins through the year
Against the frost risk in 'Ākra
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in 'Ākra
March has the highest average precipitation (58 mm); July has the lowest (2 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 'Ākra
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 | 1.5°C (34.6°F)34.6°F (1.5°C) | 11.9°C (53.4°F)53.4°F (11.9°C) | 9.0 |
| February | 2.4°C (36.3°F)36.3°F (2.4°C) | 14°C (57.2°F)57.2°F (14°C) | 6.4 |
| March | 6°C (42.8°F)42.8°F (6°C) | 18.7°C (65.7°F)65.7°F (18.7°C) | 1.1 |
| April | 11°C (51.7°F)51.7°F (11°C) | 25.1°C (77.2°F)77.2°F (25.1°C) | 0.1 |
| May | 16.8°C (62.2°F)62.2°F (16.8°C) | 32.2°C (89.9°F)89.9°F (32.2°C) | 0.0 |
| June | 22.7°C (72.9°F)72.9°F (22.7°C) | 39.4°C (103°F)103°F (39.4°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 26.7°C (80°F)80°F (26.7°C) | 43°C (109.5°F)109.5°F (43°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 26.6°C (79.8°F)79.8°F (26.6°C) | 42.6°C (108.8°F)108.8°F (42.6°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 22°C (71.7°F)71.7°F (22°C) | 37.3°C (99.2°F)99.2°F (37.3°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 16.2°C (61.1°F)61.1°F (16.2°C) | 29.8°C (85.6°F)85.6°F (29.8°C) | 0.0 |
| November | 8.4°C (47.1°F)47.1°F (8.4°C) | 20.2°C (68.3°F)68.3°F (20.2°C) | 0.6 |
| December | 3.7°C (38.6°F)38.6°F (3.7°C) | 14.2°C (57.6°F)57.6°F (14.2°C) | 4.6 |
For mandarins, 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 mandarins for 'Ākra
- March is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 58 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 mandarins
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- 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 a named mandarin for your local ripening season
Use a sunny position and drained soil with steady access to moisture. A container allows winter shelter but also needs room for a developing root system. Repot carefully rather than repeatedly breaking roots to force the plant into a small space.
Monitor flowering, fruit retention and ripening as separate stages. If fruit remains poor in flavour, review the cultivar and available warmth and light before adding more fertiliser. Inspect the canopy when moving a pot between outdoor and indoor conditions.
What to record this season
Did the chosen mandarin mature within your available outdoor season? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: Plants For A Future: Citrus reticulata . 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.
Plants For A Future compiles botanical and cultivation references. This is general species guidance, not a local field trial or evidence that every cultivar will crop in your climate.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Use a sunny position and drained soil with steady access to moisture. A container allows winter shelter but also needs room for a developing root system. Repot carefully rather than repeatedly breaking roots to force the plant into a small space.
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.
Mandarins are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in 'Ākra has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
'Ākra is zone 9a, within the crop's general range. This is an initial cold-hardiness check; cultivar, exposure, drainage and unusual winters can still change the outcome.
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 'Ākra
Other fruits to time
Growing mandarins in 'Ākra
Can I grow mandarins in 'Ākra?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. March is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 58 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 mandarins in 'Ākra?
Aim for 11 Mar - 8 Apr in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 9 Apr - 7 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When might mandarins be ready to harvest in 'Ākra?
The estimated period is 1 Nov - 28 Feb, based on 210 to 270 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.
How much frost will mandarins 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.