When to plant in Blue Lake, CA
Planting dates worked out from Blue Lake's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 2
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 26
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 25
1 year in 10 by Nov 2
Frost-free days
244
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Arcata Eureka Ap · 14.7 km away · station 64 m, town 40 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 | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 20 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 25 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 22 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 7 |
| Peas | — | Feb 12 – Mar 12 | Apr 8 |
| Bush beans | — | May 7 – May 28 | Jun 26 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 5 – Apr 16 | May 4 |
| Beet | — | Feb 26 – Apr 9 | Apr 17 |
| Potato | — | Mar 5 – Mar 26 | May 14 |
| Kale | Jan 15 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 10 |
| Broccoli | Jan 15 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 19 | Apr 27 |
| Cucumber | Apr 28 – May 5 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 15 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 28 – May 5 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 10 |
| Winter squash | Apr 28 – May 5 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Aug 14 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 7 – May 28 | Jul 6 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 26 – Mar 19 | May 27 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 4 – Dec 2 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 12 – Mar 12 | Mar 22 |
| Basil | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 22 |
Blue 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 |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Feb 28 |
| 1994 | Mar 20 |
| 1995 | Apr 21 |
| 1996 | Feb 26 |
| 1997 | Apr 1 |
| 1998 | Mar 6 |
| 1999 | May 9 |
| 2000 | Mar 20 |
| 2001 | Apr 9 |
| 2002 | May 8 |
| 2003 | Feb 11 |
| 2004 | Apr 1 |
| 2005 | Apr 14 |
| 2006 | Mar 19 |
| 2007 | Apr 28 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 15 |
| 2010 | May 6 |
| 2011 | Apr 8 |
| 2012 | Apr 6 |
| 2013 | May 1 |
| 2014 | Feb 5 |
| 2015 | Feb 24 |
| 2016 | Feb 1 |
| 2017 | Mar 1 |
| 2018 | Feb 27 |
| 2019 | Mar 13 |
| 2020 | Apr 2 |
| 2021 | Apr 11 |
| 2022 | Apr 15 |
| 2023 | Apr 13 |
| 2024 | Feb 27 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 257 |
| 1994 | 226 |
| 1995 | 253 |
| 1996 | 307 |
| 1997 | 261 |
| 1998 | 299 |
| 1999 | 213 |
| 2000 | 235 |
| 2001 | 211 |
| 2002 | 174 |
| 2003 | 262 |
| 2004 | 232 |
| 2005 | 234 |
| 2006 | 253 |
| 2007 | 206 |
| 2008 | 178 |
| 2009 | 233 |
| 2010 | 200 |
| 2011 | 238 |
| 2012 | 249 |
| 2013 | 204 |
| 2014 | 323 |
| 2015 | 264 |
| 2016 | 302 |
| 2017 | 277 |
| 2018 | 253 |
| 2019 | 259 |
| 2020 | 219 |
| 2021 | 242 |
| 2022 | 213 |
| 2023 | 225 |
| 2024 | 261 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 13.5 °C |
| 1993 | 12.7 °C |
| 1994 | 12.7 °C |
| 1995 | 12.8 °C |
| 1996 | 12.7 °C |
| 1997 | 14.4 °C |
| 1998 | 13.0 °C |
| 1999 | 12.3 °C |
| 2000 | 13.4 °C |
| 2001 | 11.6 °C |
| 2002 | 11.8 °C |
| 2003 | 12.5 °C |
| 2004 | 13.4 °C |
| 2005 | 12.5 °C |
| 2006 | 12.3 °C |
| 2007 | 12.3 °C |
| 2008 | 11.6 °C |
| 2009 | 12.3 °C |
| 2010 | 11.7 °C |
| 2011 | 11.6 °C |
| 2012 | 11.6 °C |
| 2013 | 12.7 °C |
| 2014 | 13.6 °C |
| 2015 | 13.1 °C |
| 2016 | 13.4 °C |
| 2017 | 13.0 °C |
| 2018 | 13.1 °C |
| 2019 | 13.7 °C |
| 2020 | 13.5 °C |
| 2021 | 12.2 °C |
| 2022 | 12.8 °C |
| 2023 | 13.2 °C |
| 2024 | 12.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1993, Blue Lake's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Arcata Eureka Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.