Frost Report

All states California

Frost dates for Lakeport, 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

March 5

typical year

Safe to plant

April 7

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 21

typical year

Growing season

259 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 – Feb 5 – 19 –
Spinach – Jan 22 – Feb 12 Sep 26 – Oct 10
Lettuce – Feb 5 – 26 Sep 26 – Oct 10
Radishes – Feb 5 – Mar 19 Oct 10 – 24
Onions – Feb 5 – 19 –
Potatoes – Feb 12 – 26 –
Carrots – Feb 12 – Mar 5 Aug 29 – Sep 12
Beets – Feb 5 – 19 Sep 12 – 26
Kale Dec 25 – Jan 8 Feb 5 – 19 Sep 12 – 26
Broccoli Dec 25 – Jan 8 Feb 19 – Mar 5 Sep 12 – 26
Cabbage Dec 11 – 25 Feb 5 – 19 Sep 12 – 26
Garlic – – Oct 10 – 31
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 10 – 24 Apr 7 – 21 –
Peppers Feb 3 – 17 Apr 14 – 28 –
Cucumbers – Apr 7 – 28 –
Zucchini – Apr 7 – May 5 –
Pumpkins – Apr 7 – 28 –
Green beans – Apr 7 – Sep 12 –
Sweet corn – Apr 7 – May 5 –
Basil Mar 3 – 17 Apr 14 – 21 –

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 April 7March 5January 29
Fall frost before November 2November 21December 9

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 January 27 (February 28 in a late year), and the first one in fall around December 5.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 2 towns.

Lakeport, Point Arena

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station UKIAH MUNI AP, CA US (USW00023275), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 7 zip codes, all within 26 miles:

95415, 95453, 95459, 95464, 95466, 95468, 95494

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