When to plant in Arnold, CA

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

Last spring frost

Early · riskyApr 189 years in 10 still get a later frost
TypicalMay 13about half of years get a later frost
Safe to plant outJun 41 year in 10 gets a later frost

Hardy crops like peas and spinach are timed from the typical date. Wait for the safe date before planting out tomatoes, peppers and squash.

First fall frost

EarlyOct 41 year in 10 has frost by then
TypicalOct 23about half of years have had frost
LateNov 129 years in 10 have had frost by then

A typical year has 157 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.

Station used: Calaveras Big Trees · 4.2 km away · station 1431 m, town 1219 m. How we match towns to stations

The station sits 212 m higher than the town, so frost dates here may be off by a week or more. Check them against local experience.

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Apr 9 – Apr 23	Jun 4 – Jun 18	Jul 29
Sweet pepper	Mar 26 – Apr 9	Jun 4 – Jun 18	Aug 3
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 11 – Mar 18	Apr 15 – Apr 29	May 25
Peas	—	Apr 11 – May 9	Jun 5
Bush beans	—	May 28 – Jun 18	Jul 17
Carrot	—	Apr 24 – Jun 5	Jun 23
Beet	—	Apr 24 – Jun 5	Jun 13
Potato	—	Apr 24 – May 15	Jul 3
Kale	Mar 7 – Mar 21	Apr 18 – May 2	May 31
Broccoli	Mar 4 – Mar 18	Apr 15 – May 6	Jun 14
Cucumber	May 7 – May 14	Jun 4 – Jun 18	Jul 24
Summer squash and zucchini	May 7 – May 14	Jun 4 – Jun 18	Jul 19
Winter squash	May 7 – May 14	Jun 4 – Jun 18	Aug 23
Sweet corn	—	May 28 – Jun 18	Jul 27
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 15 – May 6	Jul 14
Garlic	—	Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 11 – May 9	May 19
Basil	Apr 23 – May 7	Jun 4 – Jun 18	Jul 31

Plan all 65 crops for Arnold

Arnold's weather over time

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

Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Last spring frost
1930	Jun 4
1931	Apr 24
1932	Jun 6
1933	May 12
1934	Jun 2
1935	May 2
1936	May 29
1937	May 11
1938	May 6
1939	Jun 17
1940	Apr 16
1941	May 18
1942	May 29
1943	May 18
1944	May 16
1945	May 19
1946	Apr 21
1947	Apr 23
1948	May 28
1949	Apr 30
1950	Jun 8
1951	May 14
1952	Jun 15
1953	Jun 2
1954	Jun 10
1955	Jun 1
1956	May 14
1957	May 21
1958	May 13
1959	May 28
1960	May 23
1961	May 13
1962	Jun 4
1963	Jun 29
1964	Jun 10
1965	Jun 27
1966	Jun 3
1967	Jun 2
1968	Jun 6
1969	Jun 28
1970	May 20
1971	Jun 2
1972	Jun 11
1973	May 26
1974	May 21
1975	Jun 25
1976	May 28
1977	May 24
1978	May 26
1979	May 10
1980	May 27
1981	Jun 13
1982	May 18
1983	May 11
1984	May 16
1985	Jun 1
1986	May 22
1987	May 2
1988	Jun 10
1989	May 24
1990	Jun 1
1991	May 20
1992	Apr 6
1993	May 13
1994	May 20
1995	Jun 16
1996	Apr 24
1997	Apr 24
1998	May 30
1999	Jun 4
2000	May 11
2001	Apr 22
2002	May 23
2004	Apr 19
2005	Jun 7
2006	May 29
2007	May 5
2015	May 8
2016	May 22
2019	May 27
2020	Apr 11

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1930	112
1931	138
1932	132
1933	171
1934	113
1935	166
1936	156
1937	145
1938	162
1939	108
1940	193
1941	140
1942	152
1943	145
1944	173
1945	171
1946	179
1947	181
1948	117
1949	160
1950	113
1951	143
1952	140
1953	134
1954	134
1955	147
1956	150
1957	135
1958	159
1959	109
1960	138
1961	148
1962	132
1964	83
1965	83
1966	101
1967	125
1968	75
1969	98
1970	116
1971	116
1972	91
1974	160
1975	103
1976	153
1977	159
1978	114
1979	163
1980	139
1981	120
1982	134
1983	180
1984	151
1985	129
1986	120
1987	75
1988	151
1989	153
1990	140
1991	159
1992	216
1993	182
1994	147
1995	163
1996	177
1997	165
1998	126
1999	146
2000	153
2001	204
2002	155
2004	153
2005	118
2006	163
2007	152
2015	178
2016	133

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1930	15.7 °C
1931	18.5 °C
1932	17.0 °C
1933	16.9 °C
1934	16.4 °C
1935	17.4 °C
1936	16.1 °C
1937	15.9 °C
1938	15.7 °C
1939	16.6 °C
1940	16.6 °C
1941	14.5 °C
1942	15.8 °C
1943	15.8 °C
1944	15.2 °C
1945	15.9 °C
1946	16.1 °C
1947	15.7 °C
1949	15.4 °C
1950	15.3 °C
1951	15.5 °C
1952	14.9 °C
1953	13.5 °C
1954	14.5 °C
1955	13.8 °C
1956	13.9 °C
1957	14.1 °C
1958	14.2 °C
1959	15.2 °C
1960	16.0 °C
1961	15.2 °C
1962	14.7 °C
1963	13.3 °C
1964	13.7 °C
1965	13.0 °C
1966	14.9 °C
1967	13.8 °C
1968	14.5 °C
1969	14.9 °C
1970	14.6 °C
1971	13.8 °C
1972	14.8 °C
1973	15.1 °C
1974	15.1 °C
1975	14.2 °C
1976	13.8 °C
1977	15.4 °C
1978	14.3 °C
1979	15.2 °C
1981	16.4 °C
1982	14.1 °C
1983	14.1 °C
1984	15.9 °C
1985	15.3 °C
1986	14.3 °C
1987	15.4 °C
1988	15.3 °C
1989	14.7 °C
1990	14.8 °C
1991	13.9 °C
1992	15.8 °C
1993	13.8 °C
1994	15.1 °C
1995	13.3 °C
1996	15.1 °C
1997	14.7 °C
1998	12.8 °C
1999	13.6 °C
2000	14.8 °C
2001	15.5 °C
2002	15.1 °C
2004	15.6 °C
2005	14.1 °C
2006	15.2 °C
2007	15.1 °C
2014	16.0 °C
2015	16.3 °C
2018	16.4 °C
2020	16.7 °C

What this means for you: Since 1930, Arnold's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 1 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Calaveras Big Trees (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Forest Meadows Murphys Mountain Ranch Cedar Ridge Columbia Twain Harte