When to plant in Arroyo Grande, CA
Planting dates worked out from Arroyo Grande's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 16
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 7
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 12
1 year in 10 by Nov 22
Frost-free days
305
median, 1991–2020
Station used: San Luis Obispo Mcchesney Fld · 14.1 km away · station 56 m, town 36 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | May 10 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | May 15 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 6 – Dec 13 | Jan 10 – Jan 24 | Feb 19 |
| Peas | — | Dec 27 – Jan 24 | Feb 20 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 9 – Mar 30 | Apr 28 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 17 – Feb 28 | Mar 18 |
| Beet | — | Jan 10 – Feb 21 | Mar 1 |
| Potato | — | Jan 17 – Feb 7 | Mar 28 |
| Kale | Nov 29 – Dec 13 | Jan 10 – Jan 24 | Feb 22 |
| Broccoli | Nov 29 – Dec 13 | Jan 10 – Jan 31 | Mar 11 |
| Cucumber | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | May 5 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 30 |
| Winter squash | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Jun 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 9 – Mar 30 | May 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 10 – Jan 31 | Apr 10 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 28 – Dec 26 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Dec 27 – Jan 24 | Feb 3 |
| Basil | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | May 12 |
Arroyo Grande'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 |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Apr 4 |
| 2000 | Jan 7 |
| 2001 | Apr 8 |
| 2002 | Mar 16 |
| 2003 | Feb 9 |
| 2004 | Jan 23 |
| 2005 | Jan 14 |
| 2006 | Mar 13 |
| 2007 | Jan 24 |
| 2008 | Feb 15 |
| 2011 | Feb 27 |
| 2012 | Mar 8 |
| 2013 | Feb 25 |
| 2015 | Jan 4 |
| 2018 | Feb 28 |
| 2019 | Feb 23 |
| 2020 | Feb 11 |
| 2021 | Jan 26 |
| 2022 | Feb 24 |
| 2023 | Feb 16 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 243 |
| 2000 | 307 |
| 2001 | 266 |
| 2002 | 282 |
| 2003 | 286 |
| 2004 | 302 |
| 2005 | 350 |
| 2006 | 261 |
| 2007 | 305 |
| 2008 | 301 |
| 2009 | 322 |
| 2010 | 328 |
| 2011 | 278 |
| 2012 | 286 |
| 2013 | 283 |
| 2014 | 359 |
| 2015 | 356 |
| 2016 | 357 |
| 2017 | 354 |
| 2018 | 305 |
| 2019 | 307 |
| 2020 | 322 |
| 2021 | 326 |
| 2022 | 295 |
| 2023 | 317 |
| 2024 | 363 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 16.8 °C |
| 1999 | 15.6 °C |
| 2000 | 17.6 °C |
| 2001 | 17.0 °C |
| 2002 | 16.7 °C |
| 2003 | 17.1 °C |
| 2004 | 17.9 °C |
| 2005 | 16.9 °C |
| 2006 | 17.4 °C |
| 2007 | 17.3 °C |
| 2008 | 17.7 °C |
| 2009 | 19.1 °C |
| 2010 | 16.5 °C |
| 2011 | 16.7 °C |
| 2012 | 17.2 °C |
| 2013 | 18.2 °C |
| 2014 | 18.7 °C |
| 2015 | 18.9 °C |
| 2016 | 19.0 °C |
| 2017 | 19.1 °C |
| 2018 | 17.8 °C |
| 2019 | 17.6 °C |
| 2020 | 18.6 °C |
| 2021 | 18.0 °C |
| 2022 | 18.4 °C |
| 2023 | 18.0 °C |
| 2024 | 19.4 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from San Luis Obispo Mcchesney Fld (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.