Frost dates for Sand City, 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 3
typical year
Safe to plant
January 24
frost is over in 9 of 10 years
First fall frost
December 28
typical year
Growing season
365 days
frost-free, typical year
Frost watch this week
Tonight's and the next six nights' lows from the National Weather Service forecast for the station's location. Frost: 32°F or colder. Possible frost: 33–36°F, mostly in low spots on clear, still nights.
When to plant
Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant outside | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cool-season crops | |||
| Peas | – | Dec 6 – 20 | – |
| Spinach | – | Nov 22 – Dec 13 | Nov 2 – 16 |
| Lettuce | – | Dec 6 – 27 | Nov 2 – 16 |
| Radishes | – | Dec 6 – Jan 17 | Nov 16 – 30 |
| Onions | – | Dec 6 – 20 | – |
| Potatoes | – | Dec 13 – 27 | – |
| Carrots | – | Dec 13 – Jan 3 | Oct 5 – 19 |
| Beets | – | Dec 6 – 20 | Oct 19 – Nov 2 |
| Kale | Oct 25 – Nov 8 | Dec 6 – 20 | Oct 19 – Nov 2 |
| Broccoli | Oct 25 – Nov 8 | Dec 20 – Jan 3 | Oct 19 – Nov 2 |
| Cabbage | Oct 11 – 25 | Dec 6 – 20 | Oct 19 – Nov 2 |
| Garlic | – | – | Nov 16 – Dec 7 |
| Warm-season crops | |||
| Tomatoes | Nov 29 – Dec 13 | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | – |
| Peppers | Nov 22 – Dec 6 | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | – |
| Cucumbers | – | Jan 24 – Feb 14 | – |
| Zucchini | – | Jan 24 – Feb 21 | – |
| Pumpkins | – | Jan 24 – Feb 14 | – |
| Green beans | – | Jan 24 – Oct 19 | – |
| Sweet corn | – | Jan 24 – Feb 21 | – |
| Basil | Dec 20 – Jan 3 | Jan 31 – Feb 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 10 | Half of years | 9 years in 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring frost after | January 24 | January 3 | December 12 |
| Fall frost before | December 5 | December 28 | January 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 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 1 town.
Sand City
Where these dates come from
NOAA weather station MONTEREY WFO, CA US (USC00045802), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 1 zip code, all within 1 miles:
93943
Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.