Frost Report

All states California

Frost dates for Whiskeytown Rsvr, 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 13

typical year

Safe to plant

March 25

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

December 13

typical year

Growing season

304 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 16 – 30 –
Spinach – Jan 2 – 23 Oct 18 – Nov 1
Lettuce – Jan 16 – Feb 6 Oct 18 – Nov 1
Radishes – Jan 16 – Feb 27 Nov 1 – 15
Onions – Jan 16 – 30 –
Potatoes – Jan 23 – Feb 6 –
Carrots – Jan 23 – Feb 13 Sep 20 – Oct 4
Beets – Jan 16 – 30 Oct 4 – 18
Kale Dec 5 – 19 Jan 16 – 30 Oct 4 – 18
Broccoli Dec 5 – 19 Jan 30 – Feb 13 Oct 4 – 18
Cabbage Nov 21 – Dec 5 Jan 16 – 30 Oct 4 – 18
Garlic – – Nov 1 – 22
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Jan 28 – Feb 11 Mar 25 – Apr 8 –
Peppers Jan 21 – Feb 4 Apr 1 – 15 –
Cucumbers – Mar 25 – Apr 15 –
Zucchini – Mar 25 – Apr 22 –
Pumpkins – Mar 25 – Apr 15 –
Green beans – Mar 25 – Oct 4 –
Sweet corn – Mar 25 – Apr 22 –
Basil Feb 18 – Mar 4 Apr 1 – 8 –

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 25February 13December 30
Fall frost before November 20December 13January 19

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 3 (February 18 in a late year), and the first one in fall around December 25.

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station WHISKEYTOWN RSVR, CA US (USC00049621), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 2 zip codes, all within 13 miles:

96001, 96047

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