Frost Report

All states California

Frost dates for Anaheim, CA

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

January 5

typical year

Safe to plant

February 2

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

December 25

typical year

Growing season

365 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Dec 8 – 22 –
Spinach – Nov 24 – Dec 15 Oct 30 – Nov 13
Lettuce – Dec 8 – 29 Oct 30 – Nov 13
Radishes – Dec 8 – Jan 19 Nov 13 – 27
Onions – Dec 8 – 22 –
Potatoes – Dec 15 – 29 –
Carrots – Dec 15 – Jan 5 Oct 2 – 16
Beets – Dec 8 – 22 Oct 16 – 30
Kale Oct 27 – Nov 10 Dec 8 – 22 Oct 16 – 30
Broccoli Oct 27 – Nov 10 Dec 22 – Jan 5 Oct 16 – 30
Cabbage Oct 13 – 27 Dec 8 – 22 Oct 16 – 30
Garlic – – Nov 13 – Dec 4
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Dec 8 – 22 Feb 2 – 16 –
Peppers Dec 1 – 15 Feb 9 – 23 –
Cucumbers – Feb 2 – 23 –
Zucchini – Feb 2 – Mar 2 –
Pumpkins – Feb 2 – 23 –
Green beans – Feb 2 – Oct 16 –
Sweet corn – Feb 2 – Mar 2 –
Basil Dec 29 – Jan 12 Feb 9 – 16 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after February 2January 5December 14
Fall frost before December 3December 25January 20

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around n/a (n/a in a late year), and the first one in fall around n/a.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 16 towns.

Anaheim, Irvine, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Fullerton, Orange, Costa Mesa, Westminster, Lake Forest, Tustin, Fountain Valley, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, Stanton, Villa Park

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station TUSTIN IRVINE RCH, CA US (USC00049087), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 55 zip codes, all within 17 miles:

90680, 92602, 92603, 92604, 92606, 92610, 92612, 92614, 92617, 92618, 92620, 92626, 92627, 92630, 92646, 92647, 92648, 92649, 92655, 92676, 92679, 92683, 92688, 92691, 92692, 92697, 92701, 92703, 92704, 92705, 92706, 92707, 92708, 92780, 92782, 92801, 92802, 92804, 92805, 92806, 92807, 92831, 92832, 92840, 92841, 92843, 92844, 92845, 92861, 92865, 92866, 92867, 92868, 92869, 92870

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.