Frost Report

All states California

Frost dates for Lindsay, 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

February 20

typical year

Safe to plant

March 26

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 30

typical year

Growing season

284 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 – Jan 23 – Feb 6 –
Spinach – Jan 9 – 30 Oct 5 – 19
Lettuce – Jan 23 – Feb 13 Oct 5 – 19
Radishes – Jan 23 – Mar 6 Oct 19 – Nov 2
Onions – Jan 23 – Feb 6 –
Potatoes – Jan 30 – Feb 13 –
Carrots – Jan 30 – Feb 20 Sep 7 – 21
Beets – Jan 23 – Feb 6 Sep 21 – Oct 5
Kale Dec 12 – 26 Jan 23 – Feb 6 Sep 21 – Oct 5
Broccoli Dec 12 – 26 Feb 6 – 20 Sep 21 – Oct 5
Cabbage Nov 28 – Dec 12 Jan 23 – Feb 6 Sep 21 – Oct 5
Garlic – – Oct 19 – Nov 9
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Jan 29 – Feb 12 Mar 26 – Apr 9 –
Peppers Jan 22 – Feb 5 Apr 2 – 16 –
Cucumbers – Mar 26 – Apr 16 –
Zucchini – Mar 26 – Apr 23 –
Pumpkins – Mar 26 – Apr 16 –
Green beans – Mar 26 – Sep 21 –
Sweet corn – Mar 26 – Apr 23 –
Basil Feb 19 – Mar 5 Apr 2 – 9 –

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 26February 20January 20
Fall frost before November 15November 30December 21

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 20 (February 18 in a late year), and the first one in fall around December 14.

Towns that use these dates

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

Lindsay, Exeter

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station LINDSAY, CA US (USC00044957), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 2 zip codes, all within 4 miles:

93247, 93267

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