Frost Report

All states California

Frost dates for Camp Pardee, 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 22

typical year

Safe to plant

March 1

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

December 17

typical year

Growing season

332 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 25 – Jan 8 –
Spinach – Dec 11 – Jan 1 Oct 22 – Nov 5
Lettuce – Dec 25 – Jan 15 Oct 22 – Nov 5
Radishes – Dec 25 – Feb 5 Nov 5 – 19
Onions – Dec 25 – Jan 8 –
Potatoes – Jan 1 – 15 –
Carrots – Jan 1 – 22 Sep 24 – Oct 8
Beets – Dec 25 – Jan 8 Oct 8 – 22
Kale Nov 13 – 27 Dec 25 – Jan 8 Oct 8 – 22
Broccoli Nov 13 – 27 Jan 8 – 22 Oct 8 – 22
Cabbage Oct 30 – Nov 13 Dec 25 – Jan 8 Oct 8 – 22
Garlic – – Nov 5 – 26
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Jan 4 – 18 Mar 1 – 15 –
Peppers Dec 28 – Jan 11 Mar 8 – 22 –
Cucumbers – Mar 1 – 22 –
Zucchini – Mar 1 – 29 –
Pumpkins – Mar 1 – 22 –
Green beans – Mar 1 – Oct 8 –
Sweet corn – Mar 1 – 29 –
Basil Jan 25 – Feb 8 Mar 8 – 15 –

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 March 1January 22December 23
Fall frost before December 1December 17January 17

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 December 31 (January 29 in a late year), and the first one in fall around December 27.

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station CAMP PARDEE, CA US (USC00041428), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 8 zip codes, all within 18 miles:

95225, 95226, 95227, 95230, 95249, 95252, 95254, 95638

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