Frost Report

All states California

Frost dates for Placerville, 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 31

typical year

Safe to plant

April 23

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 21

typical year

Growing season

237 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 – Mar 3 – 17 –
Spinach – Feb 17 – Mar 10 Sep 26 – Oct 10
Lettuce – Mar 3 – 24 Sep 26 – Oct 10
Radishes – Mar 3 – Apr 14 Oct 10 – 24
Onions – Mar 3 – 17 –
Potatoes – Mar 10 – 24 –
Carrots – Mar 10 – 31 Aug 29 – Sep 12
Beets – Mar 3 – 17 Sep 12 – 26
Kale Jan 20 – Feb 3 Mar 3 – 17 Sep 12 – 26
Broccoli Jan 20 – Feb 3 Mar 17 – 31 Sep 12 – 26
Cabbage Jan 6 – 20 Mar 3 – 17 Sep 12 – 26
Garlic – – Oct 10 – 31
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 26 – Mar 12 Apr 23 – May 7 –
Peppers Feb 19 – Mar 5 Apr 30 – May 14 –
Cucumbers – Apr 23 – May 14 –
Zucchini – Apr 23 – May 21 –
Pumpkins – Apr 23 – May 14 –
Green beans – Apr 23 – Sep 12 –
Sweet corn – Apr 23 – May 21 –
Basil Mar 19 – Apr 2 Apr 30 – May 7 –

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 23March 31February 24
Fall frost before November 1November 21December 7

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 February 15 (March 21 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 1 town.

Placerville

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station PLACERVILLE, CA US (USC00046960), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 9 zip codes, all within 13 miles:

95613, 95619, 95623, 95667, 95672, 95675, 95682, 95709, 95762

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