Frost Report

All states California

Frost dates for Wasco, 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 31

typical year

Safe to plant

February 27

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

December 5

typical year

Growing season

315 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 3 – 17 –
Spinach – Dec 20 – Jan 10 Oct 10 – 24
Lettuce – Jan 3 – 24 Oct 10 – 24
Radishes – Jan 3 – Feb 14 Oct 24 – Nov 7
Onions – Jan 3 – 17 –
Potatoes – Jan 10 – 24 –
Carrots – Jan 10 – 31 Sep 12 – 26
Beets – Jan 3 – 17 Sep 26 – Oct 10
Kale Nov 22 – Dec 6 Jan 3 – 17 Sep 26 – Oct 10
Broccoli Nov 22 – Dec 6 Jan 17 – 31 Sep 26 – Oct 10
Cabbage Nov 8 – 22 Jan 3 – 17 Sep 26 – Oct 10
Garlic – – Oct 24 – Nov 14
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Jan 2 – 16 Feb 27 – Mar 13 –
Peppers Dec 26 – Jan 9 Mar 6 – 20 –
Cucumbers – Feb 27 – Mar 20 –
Zucchini – Feb 27 – Mar 27 –
Pumpkins – Feb 27 – Mar 20 –
Green beans – Feb 27 – Sep 26 –
Sweet corn – Feb 27 – Mar 27 –
Basil Jan 23 – Feb 6 Mar 6 – 13 –

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 February 27January 31January 2
Fall frost before November 21December 5January 2

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 4 (February 4 in a late year), and the first one in fall around December 16.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 1 town.

Wasco

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station WASCO, CA US (USC00049452), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 1 zip code, all within 7 miles:

93280

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