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When to plant in Arcata, CA

Planting dates worked out from Arcata's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out
Mar 31
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 8
1 year in 10 by Nov 22
Frost-free days
302
median, 1991–2020

Station used: Eureka Wfo Woodley Is · 9.1 km away · station 6 m, town 7 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

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Planting dates for common crops

CropStart indoorsPlant out or sowHarvest from
Tomato Mar 15 – Mar 29 May 10 – May 24 Jul 4
Sweet pepper Mar 1 – Mar 15 May 10 – May 24 Jul 9
Lettuce (leaf) Dec 9 – Dec 16 Jan 13 – Jan 27 Feb 22
Peas — Dec 30 – Jan 27 Feb 23
Bush beans — Apr 21 – May 12 Jun 10
Carrot — Jan 20 – Mar 3 Mar 21
Beet — Jan 13 – Feb 24 Mar 4
Potato — Jan 20 – Feb 10 Mar 31
Kale Dec 2 – Dec 16 Jan 13 – Jan 27 Feb 25
Broccoli Dec 2 – Dec 16 Jan 13 – Feb 3 Mar 14
Cucumber Apr 12 – Apr 19 May 10 – May 24 Jun 29
Summer squash and zucchini Apr 12 – Apr 19 May 10 – May 24 Jun 24
Winter squash Apr 12 – Apr 19 May 10 – May 24 Jul 29
Sweet corn — Apr 21 – May 12 Jun 20
Onion (from sets) — Jan 13 – Feb 3 Apr 13
Garlic — Nov 10 – Dec 8 (fall) following summer
Spinach — Dec 30 – Jan 27 Feb 6
Basil Mar 29 – Apr 12 May 10 – May 24 Jul 6

Plan all 65 crops for Arcata

Arcata's weather over time

How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.

Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1 19501960197019801990200020102020
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
YearLast spring frost
1942Jan 2
1943Feb 9
1945Jan 21
1946Feb 12
1947Jan 15
1948Feb 11
1949Feb 13
1950Mar 12
1951Mar 10
1952Mar 13
1954Mar 12
1955Mar 15
1956Feb 16
1957Jan 30
1960Jan 15
1962Feb 27
1963Jan 12
1965Jan 8
1966Mar 17
1967Jan 6
1968Jan 11
1969Jan 23
1971Feb 26
1972Feb 2
1973Jan 26
1974Feb 23
1975Feb 21
1976Mar 1
1977Mar 10
1979Feb 3
1980Jan 30
1982Mar 17
1984Feb 22
1985Feb 4
1987Jan 17
1989Feb 8
1990Feb 18
1993Jan 3
1995Feb 15
1996Feb 26
1997Mar 4
1999Apr 1
2001Apr 4
2002Mar 18
2003Feb 8
2004Feb 8
2005Jan 12
2006Mar 11
2007Jan 18
2008Mar 31
2009Mar 11
2011Feb 27
2012Apr 6
2013Feb 26
2014Feb 5
2016Jan 2
2017Jan 13
2018Mar 5
2019Feb 22
2020Mar 16
2021Mar 16
2022Feb 25
2023Mar 2
2024Jan 11

What this means for you: Since 1942, Arcata's last spring frost has come about 2 days later per decade, on average. The frost-free season has shrunk by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Eureka Wfo Woodley Is (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

BaysideBlue LakeMcKinleyvilleMyrtletownEurekaCutten