When to plant in Big Bear Lake, CA
Planting dates worked out from Big Bear Lake's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 21
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Jun 1
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 29
1 year in 10 by Sep 10
Frost-free days
115
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Big Bear Lake · 0.5 km away · station 2058 m, town 2058 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 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 21 – Jul 5 | Aug 15 |
| Sweet pepper | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 21 – Jul 5 | Aug 20 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 30 – Apr 6 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 13 |
| Peas | — | Apr 20 – May 18 | Jun 14 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 14 – Jul 5 | Aug 3 |
| Carrot | — | May 11 – Jun 22 | Jul 10 |
| Beet | — | May 4 – Jun 15 | Jun 23 |
| Potato | — | May 11 – Jun 1 | Jul 20 |
| Kale | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 16 |
| Broccoli | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 4 – May 25 | Jul 3 |
| Cucumber | May 24 – May 31 | Jun 21 – Jul 5 | Aug 10 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 24 – May 31 | Jun 21 – Jul 5 | Aug 5 |
| Winter squash | May 24 – May 31 | Jun 21 – Jul 5 | Sep 9 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 14 – Jul 5 | Aug 13 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 4 – May 25 | Aug 2 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 15 – Oct 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 20 – May 18 | May 28 |
| Basil | May 10 – May 24 | Jun 21 – Jul 5 | Aug 17 |
Big Bear Lake'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 |
|---|---|
| 1961 | Jul 7 |
| 1962 | Jul 3 |
| 1963 | Jul 8 |
| 1964 | Jul 6 |
| 1965 | Jul 2 |
| 1966 | Jun 17 |
| 1967 | Jun 14 |
| 1968 | Jun 10 |
| 1969 | May 15 |
| 1970 | Jun 16 |
| 1971 | Jun 10 |
| 1972 | May 26 |
| 1973 | May 25 |
| 1974 | May 20 |
| 1975 | Jun 25 |
| 1976 | Jun 11 |
| 1977 | May 27 |
| 1978 | May 27 |
| 1979 | Jun 18 |
| 1980 | Jun 1 |
| 1981 | May 22 |
| 1982 | Jun 9 |
| 1983 | Jun 3 |
| 1984 | Jun 15 |
| 1985 | Jun 3 |
| 1986 | May 23 |
| 1987 | May 29 |
| 1988 | Jun 8 |
| 1989 | May 31 |
| 1990 | Jun 15 |
| 1991 | Jun 20 |
| 1992 | Jun 16 |
| 1993 | Jun 8 |
| 1994 | May 23 |
| 1995 | Jun 21 |
| 1996 | Jun 28 |
| 1997 | Jul 1 |
| 1998 | Jun 9 |
| 1999 | Jun 9 |
| 2000 | Jun 9 |
| 2001 | May 12 |
| 2002 | May 24 |
| 2003 | May 12 |
| 2006 | May 29 |
| 2009 | Jun 7 |
| 2010 | May 29 |
| 2011 | Jun 8 |
| 2012 | May 29 |
| 2013 | May 24 |
| 2014 | May 21 |
| 2015 | May 19 |
| 2016 | May 25 |
| 2017 | May 16 |
| 2018 | May 4 |
| 2019 | May 28 |
| 2020 | May 21 |
| 2021 | May 23 |
| 2022 | May 12 |
| 2023 | May 26 |
| 2024 | May 10 |
| 2025 | May 15 |
| 2026 | May 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 59 |
| 1962 | 15 |
| 1963 | 54 |
| 1964 | 53 |
| 1965 | 18 |
| 1966 | 75 |
| 1967 | 113 |
| 1968 | 72 |
| 1969 | 141 |
| 1970 | 90 |
| 1971 | 100 |
| 1972 | 108 |
| 1973 | 115 |
| 1974 | 138 |
| 1975 | 104 |
| 1976 | 113 |
| 1977 | 118 |
| 1979 | 112 |
| 1981 | 124 |
| 1982 | 94 |
| 1983 | 80 |
| 1984 | 108 |
| 1985 | 98 |
| 1987 | 131 |
| 1988 | 96 |
| 1989 | 110 |
| 1990 | 100 |
| 1991 | 82 |
| 1992 | 109 |
| 1993 | 97 |
| 1994 | 113 |
| 1995 | 101 |
| 1996 | 113 |
| 1997 | 98 |
| 1998 | 101 |
| 1999 | 130 |
| 2000 | 84 |
| 2001 | 150 |
| 2002 | 106 |
| 2003 | 156 |
| 2009 | 115 |
| 2010 | 103 |
| 2011 | 119 |
| 2012 | 134 |
| 2013 | 125 |
| 2014 | 134 |
| 2015 | 160 |
| 2016 | 111 |
| 2017 | 128 |
| 2018 | 157 |
| 2019 | 124 |
| 2020 | 142 |
| 2021 | 130 |
| 2022 | 163 |
| 2023 | 124 |
| 2024 | 129 |
| 2025 | 149 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.8 °C |
| 1962 | 12.5 °C |
| 1963 | 11.4 °C |
| 1964 | 11.2 °C |
| 1965 | 10.7 °C |
| 1966 | 13.6 °C |
| 1967 | 12.1 °C |
| 1968 | 12.8 °C |
| 1969 | 13.6 °C |
| 1970 | 13.3 °C |
| 1971 | 12.9 °C |
| 1972 | 13.4 °C |
| 1973 | 13.5 °C |
| 1974 | 13.9 °C |
| 1975 | 12.6 °C |
| 1976 | 12.6 °C |
| 1978 | 13.1 °C |
| 1979 | 13.5 °C |
| 1981 | 14.3 °C |
| 1982 | 12.5 °C |
| 1983 | 12.4 °C |
| 1984 | 13.8 °C |
| 1985 | 13.8 °C |
| 1986 | 13.2 °C |
| 1987 | 13.0 °C |
| 1990 | 13.9 °C |
| 1991 | 12.6 °C |
| 1992 | 13.8 °C |
| 1993 | 13.4 °C |
| 1994 | 14.5 °C |
| 1995 | 13.2 °C |
| 1996 | 14.7 °C |
| 1997 | 14.3 °C |
| 1998 | 12.4 °C |
| 1999 | 12.9 °C |
| 2000 | 14.7 °C |
| 2001 | 14.7 °C |
| 2002 | 15.0 °C |
| 2003 | 14.5 °C |
| 2005 | 14.2 °C |
| 2009 | 14.8 °C |
| 2010 | 13.7 °C |
| 2011 | 13.9 °C |
| 2012 | 14.8 °C |
| 2013 | 14.9 °C |
| 2014 | 14.3 °C |
| 2015 | 13.8 °C |
| 2016 | 14.2 °C |
| 2017 | 14.6 °C |
| 2018 | 15.1 °C |
| 2019 | 13.6 °C |
| 2020 | 14.8 °C |
| 2021 | 15.5 °C |
| 2022 | 15.3 °C |
| 2023 | 13.8 °C |
| 2024 | 15.2 °C |
| 2025 | 14.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1961, Big Bear Lake's last spring frost has come about 5 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 10 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Big Bear Lake (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.