Frost Report

All states California

Frost dates for Woodlake, 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 5

typical year

Safe to plant

March 20

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

December 8

typical year

Growing season

307 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 8 – 22 –
Spinach – Dec 25 – Jan 15 Oct 13 – 27
Lettuce – Jan 8 – 29 Oct 13 – 27
Radishes – Jan 8 – Feb 19 Oct 27 – Nov 10
Onions – Jan 8 – 22 –
Potatoes – Jan 15 – 29 –
Carrots – Jan 15 – Feb 5 Sep 15 – 29
Beets – Jan 8 – 22 Sep 29 – Oct 13
Kale Nov 27 – Dec 11 Jan 8 – 22 Sep 29 – Oct 13
Broccoli Nov 27 – Dec 11 Jan 22 – Feb 5 Sep 29 – Oct 13
Cabbage Nov 13 – 27 Jan 8 – 22 Sep 29 – Oct 13
Garlic – – Oct 27 – Nov 17
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Jan 23 – Feb 6 Mar 20 – Apr 3 –
Peppers Jan 16 – 30 Mar 27 – Apr 10 –
Cucumbers – Mar 20 – Apr 10 –
Zucchini – Mar 20 – Apr 17 –
Pumpkins – Mar 20 – Apr 10 –
Green beans – Mar 20 – Sep 29 –
Sweet corn – Mar 20 – Apr 17 –
Basil Feb 13 – 27 Mar 27 – Apr 3 –

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 20February 5January 1
Fall frost before November 23December 8January 8

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 5 (February 13 in a late year), and the first one in fall around December 22.

Towns that use these dates

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

Woodlake

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station LEMON COVE, CA US (USC00044890), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 4 zip codes, all within 8 miles:

93221, 93244, 93286, 93603

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