When to plant in Brooktrails, CA
Planting dates worked out from Brooktrails's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 4
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 14
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 2
1 year in 10 by Sep 15
Frost-free days
144
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Willits 1 Ne · 4.6 km away · station 412 m, town 498 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 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 4 – Jun 18 | Jul 29 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | Jun 4 – Jun 18 | Aug 3 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | May 26 |
| Peas | — | Apr 2 – Apr 30 | May 27 |
| Bush beans | — | May 28 – Jun 18 | Jul 17 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 23 – Jun 4 | Jun 22 |
| Beet | — | Apr 16 – May 28 | Jun 5 |
| Potato | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jul 2 |
| Kale | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | May 29 |
| Broccoli | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 16 – May 7 | Jun 15 |
| 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 16 – May 7 | Jul 15 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 18 – Oct 16 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 2 – Apr 30 | May 10 |
| Basil | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jun 4 – Jun 18 | Jul 31 |
Brooktrails'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 |
|---|---|
| 1902 | Mar 26 |
| 1903 | Apr 17 |
| 1904 | Apr 22 |
| 1907 | Jul 14 |
| 1960 | May 22 |
| 1961 | May 5 |
| 1962 | Jun 4 |
| 1963 | Apr 27 |
| 1964 | May 15 |
| 1965 | May 7 |
| 1966 | May 2 |
| 1967 | May 1 |
| 1968 | May 6 |
| 1969 | May 1 |
| 1970 | May 7 |
| 1971 | Apr 21 |
| 1972 | May 18 |
| 1973 | May 5 |
| 1974 | May 16 |
| 1975 | May 5 |
| 1976 | Jun 4 |
| 1978 | May 5 |
| 1979 | May 8 |
| 1980 | May 25 |
| 1981 | Jul 7 |
| 1982 | May 8 |
| 1983 | May 10 |
| 1984 | May 6 |
| 1985 | May 12 |
| 1986 | May 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 19 |
| 1990 | May 13 |
| 1991 | May 10 |
| 1992 | Apr 23 |
| 1993 | May 7 |
| 1994 | Apr 12 |
| 1995 | Apr 22 |
| 1996 | May 9 |
| 1997 | May 4 |
| 1998 | May 29 |
| 1999 | Jun 8 |
| 2000 | May 11 |
| 2001 | Jun 4 |
| 2002 | May 23 |
| 2003 | May 19 |
| 2005 | Jun 7 |
| 2006 | May 28 |
| 2007 | May 1 |
| 2008 | May 9 |
| 2009 | Apr 30 |
| 2010 | May 23 |
| 2011 | May 30 |
| 2012 | May 7 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1902 | 188 |
| 1903 | 204 |
| 1960 | 122 |
| 1961 | 146 |
| 1962 | 133 |
| 1963 | 185 |
| 1964 | 154 |
| 1965 | 132 |
| 1966 | 163 |
| 1967 | 166 |
| 1968 | 153 |
| 1969 | 155 |
| 1970 | 128 |
| 1971 | 177 |
| 1972 | 127 |
| 1973 | 152 |
| 1974 | 142 |
| 1975 | 170 |
| 1978 | 136 |
| 1979 | 173 |
| 1980 | 143 |
| 1981 | 97 |
| 1982 | 144 |
| 1983 | 180 |
| 1984 | 140 |
| 1985 | 148 |
| 1986 | 162 |
| 1990 | 146 |
| 1991 | 165 |
| 1992 | 144 |
| 1993 | 138 |
| 1994 | 151 |
| 1995 | 164 |
| 1996 | 158 |
| 1997 | 155 |
| 1998 | 126 |
| 1999 | 129 |
| 2000 | 158 |
| 2001 | 126 |
| 2006 | 110 |
| 2007 | 140 |
| 2009 | 152 |
| 2010 | 141 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1902 | 17.7 °C |
| 1903 | 17.5 °C |
| 1907 | 15.3 °C |
| 1960 | 16.3 °C |
| 1961 | 16.3 °C |
| 1962 | 15.9 °C |
| 1963 | 15.2 °C |
| 1964 | 15.0 °C |
| 1965 | 15.5 °C |
| 1966 | 16.4 °C |
| 1967 | 16.1 °C |
| 1968 | 16.3 °C |
| 1969 | 17.0 °C |
| 1970 | 16.5 °C |
| 1971 | 15.8 °C |
| 1972 | 16.4 °C |
| 1973 | 16.9 °C |
| 1974 | 16.5 °C |
| 1975 | 16.2 °C |
| 1976 | 15.6 °C |
| 1978 | 15.6 °C |
| 1979 | 16.3 °C |
| 1980 | 15.5 °C |
| 1981 | 16.4 °C |
| 1982 | 15.9 °C |
| 1983 | 15.6 °C |
| 1985 | 15.9 °C |
| 1986 | 15.8 °C |
| 1989 | 15.4 °C |
| 1990 | 16.0 °C |
| 1991 | 15.1 °C |
| 1992 | 16.5 °C |
| 1993 | 15.6 °C |
| 1994 | 15.1 °C |
| 1995 | 15.8 °C |
| 1996 | 16.3 °C |
| 1997 | 15.8 °C |
| 1998 | 15.7 °C |
| 1999 | 14.8 °C |
| 2000 | 15.2 °C |
| 2003 | 13.3 °C |
| 2005 | 14.1 °C |
| 2006 | 15.5 °C |
| 2007 | 14.4 °C |
| 2009 | 15.2 °C |
| 2010 | 14.1 °C |
| 2011 | 14.2 °C |
| 2012 | 16.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1902, Brooktrails's last spring frost has come about 1 day 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 Willits 1 Ne (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.