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California frost dates
Across the 62California weather stations below, the average last spring frost ranges from Jan 1 in Bodega 6 Wsw to Jun 3 in Alturas. The statewide middle is about Feb 11 for the last spring frost and Dec 2 for the first fall frost. Bodega 6 Wsw has the longest growing season, about 364 days. Hardiness zones in these places: 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b.
Frost dates by city
| Place | Zone | Last spring frost | 90% safe after | First fall frost | Frost-free days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodega 6 Wsw | 10a | Jan 1 | Feb 24 | Dec 31 | 364 |
| Hayward Air Terminal | 10a | Jan 2 | Jan 27 | Dec 25 | 357 |
| Monterey Peninsul | 10a | Jan 2 | Jan 20 | Dec 23 | 355 |
| Ontario | 10a | Jan 4 | Feb 7 | Dec 30 | 360 |
| Stovepipe Wells 1 Sw | 9a | Jan 4 | Jan 23 | Dec 22 | 352 |
| Blythe | 9b | Jan 5 | Feb 18 | Dec 21 | 350 |
| El Centro Naf | 10a | Jan 6 | Feb 6 | Dec 21 | 349 |
| Moffett Federal Airfield | 10a | Jan 6 | Feb 4 | Dec 23 | 351 |
| San Diego Brown | 10b | Jan 6 | Feb 5 | Dec 31 | 359 |
| Oakland Metro | 10a | Jan 7 | Feb 8 | Dec 23 | 350 |
| Concord Buchanan | 9b | Jan 9 | Feb 12 | Dec 14 | 339 |
| Riverside | 10a | Jan 9 | Feb 21 | Dec 30 | 355 |
| Santa Barbara | 10a | Jan 11 | Feb 13 | Dec 16 | 339 |
| Sacramento 5 Ese | 9b | Jan 12 | Feb 8 | Dec 16 | 338 |
| San Jose | 9b | Jan 12 | Feb 14 | Dec 22 | 344 |
| Fresno Yosemite | 9b | Jan 14 | Feb 11 | Dec 14 | 334 |
| Imperial | 10a | Jan 14 | Feb 15 | Dec 24 | 344 |
| Bakersfield | 9b | Jan 17 | Feb 18 | Dec 15 | 332 |
| Chino | 9b | Jan 17 | Feb 22 | Dec 19 | 336 |
| Oceanside | 10a | Jan 23 | Feb 22 | Dec 11 | 322 |
| Oroville | 9b | Jan 29 | Feb 28 | Dec 7 | 312 |
| Salinas | 9b | Jan 29 | Mar 1 | Dec 10 | 315 |
| Crescent Mcnamara | 9b | Jan 30 | Mar 13 | Dec 25 | 329 |
| Modesto | 9b | Jan 31 | Feb 25 | Dec 5 | 308 |
| San Luis Obispo | 9b | Jan 31 | Mar 7 | Dec 11 | 314 |
| Watsonville | 9b | Jan 31 | Mar 9 | Dec 9 | 312 |
| Sacramento | 9b | Feb 2 | Mar 5 | Dec 2 | 303 |
| Santa Maria Public | 9b | Feb 4 | Mar 16 | Dec 13 | 312 |
| Stockton Metro | 9b | Feb 6 | Feb 28 | Dec 1 | 298 |
| Desert Resorts | 10a | Feb 7 | Mar 1 | Dec 2 | 298 |
| Marysville Yuba | 9b | Feb 11 | Mar 12 | Nov 30 | 292 |
| Madera | 9b | Feb 12 | Mar 17 | Nov 30 | 291 |
| Camp Pendleton Mcas | 10a | Feb 16 | Mar 18 | Dec 8 | 295 |
| Vacaville Nut Tree | 9b | Feb 18 | Mar 25 | Nov 28 | 283 |
| Barstow Daggett | 9a | Feb 19 | Mar 11 | Nov 26 | 280 |
| Hanford | 9a | Feb 20 | Mar 21 | Nov 23 | 276 |
| Eureka Woodley Island | 9b | Feb 22 | Mar 23 | Dec 7 | 288 |
| Red Bluff | 9a | Feb 22 | Mar 30 | Nov 29 | 280 |
| Sacramento Metro | 9b | Feb 22 | Apr 1 | Nov 24 | 275 |
| Lemoore Reeves | 9a | Feb 24 | Mar 30 | Nov 22 | 271 |
| Merced | 9a | Feb 26 | Apr 1 | Nov 25 | 272 |
| Livermore | 9b | Feb 27 | Mar 29 | Dec 1 | 277 |
| Santa Rosa Sonoma | 9a | Mar 2 | Apr 2 | Nov 20 | 263 |
| Redding | 9a | Mar 3 | Apr 9 | Nov 21 | 263 |
| Napa | 9b | Mar 5 | Apr 16 | Nov 21 | 261 |
| Ukiah | 9a | Mar 5 | Apr 7 | Nov 21 | 261 |
| Arcata Eureka | 9b | Mar 8 | Apr 15 | Nov 30 | 267 |
| China Lake Naf | 8b | Mar 11 | Apr 9 | Nov 12 | 246 |
| Palmdale | 8b | Mar 18 | Apr 11 | Nov 15 | 242 |
| Ramona | 9b | Mar 19 | Apr 10 | Nov 23 | 249 |
| Redding 12 Wnw | 9a | Mar 19 | Apr 11 | Nov 22 | 248 |
| Merced 23 Wsw | 9a | Mar 28 | Apr 27 | Nov 14 | 231 |
| Lancaster Wm J Fox | 8a | Apr 3 | Apr 23 | Nov 1 | 212 |
| Paso Robles | 9a | Apr 4 | Apr 27 | Nov 5 | 215 |
| Sandberg | 8b | Apr 15 | May 9 | Nov 26 | 225 |
| Bishop | 7a | Apr 29 | May 27 | Oct 15 | 169 |
| Campo | 9a | Apr 29 | Jun 1 | Nov 1 | 186 |
| Blue Canyon | 8a | May 4 | May 31 | Nov 4 | 184 |
| Mt Shasta | 8a | May 6 | May 28 | Oct 12 | 159 |
| Montague Siskiyou | 7b | May 12 | Jun 1 | Oct 8 | 149 |
| Yosemite Village 12 W | 8b | May 12 | Jun 4 | Nov 1 | 173 |
| Alturas | 6b | Jun 3 | Jun 24 | Sep 12 | 101 |
Dates are the 50% probability of a 32°F freeze (NOAA 1991–2020 normals); "90% safe after" is the date after which a later spring freeze happens in only 1 year in 10.
When to plant in California
Using the statewide middle dates (last frost Feb 11, first frost Dec 2). Adjust for your town with the table above or the planting calendar.
| Plant | When to plant in California |
|---|---|
| Tomatoes | Feb 18 – Mar 4 |
| Peas | Jan 1 – Jan 21; fall: Sep 9 – Sep 30 |
| Potatoes | Jan 14 – Feb 4 |
| Green beans | Feb 18 – Mar 4; fall: Sep 16 – Sep 30 |
| Garlic | Dec 2 – Dec 30 |
| Tulips | Nov 18 – Dec 30 |