When to plant in California City, CA
Planting dates worked out from California City's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Station used: Lancaster · 47.5 km away · station 713 m, town 733 m. How we match towns to stations
The nearest reliable station is 48 km away, so frost dates here may be off by a week or more. Check them against local experience.
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 12 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 17 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 15 |
| Peas | — | Feb 20 – Mar 20 | Apr 16 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | May 31 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 13 – Apr 24 | May 12 |
| Beet | — | Mar 6 – Apr 17 | Apr 25 |
| Potato | — | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | May 22 |
| Kale | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 18 |
| Broccoli | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | May 5 |
| Cucumber | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 7 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 2 |
| Winter squash | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | Jun 10 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | Jun 4 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 15 – Nov 12 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 20 – Mar 20 | Mar 30 |
| Basil | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 14 |
California City's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Apr 10 |
| 1976 | Apr 2 |
| 1977 | Apr 3 |
| 1978 | Feb 23 |
| 1979 | Mar 3 |
| 1980 | Apr 12 |
| 1981 | Mar 31 |
| 1982 | Apr 22 |
| 1983 | Apr 16 |
| 1984 | Mar 8 |
| 1985 | Mar 31 |
| 1986 | Apr 3 |
| 1987 | Mar 31 |
| 1988 | Apr 10 |
| 1989 | Mar 21 |
| 1990 | Mar 12 |
| 1991 | Mar 17 |
| 1992 | Mar 7 |
| 1993 | Apr 13 |
| 1994 | Mar 1 |
| 1995 | Apr 10 |
| 1996 | Mar 24 |
| 1997 | Mar 9 |
| 1998 | Apr 17 |
| 1999 | Apr 10 |
| 2000 | Mar 2 |
| 2001 | Apr 13 |
| 2002 | Apr 21 |
| 2003 | Mar 30 |
| 2004 | Feb 15 |
| 2005 | Apr 15 |
| 2006 | Apr 18 |
| 2007 | Apr 19 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 17 |
| 2010 | Apr 7 |
| 2011 | May 1 |
| 2012 | Apr 8 |
| 2013 | Apr 18 |
| 2014 | Apr 3 |
| 2015 | Apr 15 |
| 2016 | Mar 23 |
| 2017 | Mar 29 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 13 |
| 2020 | Mar 18 |
| 2021 | Mar 31 |
| 2022 | Mar 12 |
| 2023 | Apr 15 |
| 2024 | Apr 9 |
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 196 |
| 1976 | 208 |
| 1977 | 217 |
| 1978 | 252 |
| 1979 | 240 |
| 1980 | 199 |
| 1981 | 212 |
| 1982 | 194 |
| 1983 | 212 |
| 1984 | 223 |
| 1985 | 197 |
| 1986 | 193 |
| 1987 | 228 |
| 1988 | 219 |
| 1989 | 221 |
| 1990 | 236 |
| 1991 | 227 |
| 1992 | 247 |
| 1993 | 203 |
| 1994 | 229 |
| 1995 | 195 |
| 1996 | 211 |
| 1997 | 231 |
| 1998 | 183 |
| 1999 | 212 |
| 2001 | 219 |
| 2002 | 193 |
| 2003 | 216 |
| 2004 | 259 |
| 2005 | 214 |
| 2006 | 190 |
| 2007 | 215 |
| 2008 | 177 |
| 2009 | 171 |
| 2010 | 203 |
| 2011 | 178 |
| 2012 | 201 |
| 2013 | 181 |
| 2014 | 213 |
| 2015 | 203 |
| 2016 | 238 |
| 2017 | 233 |
| 2018 | 180 |
| 2019 | 171 |
| 2020 | 222 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 225 |
| 2023 | 196 |
| 2024 | 192 |
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1974 | 23.5 °C |
| 1975 | 21.4 °C |
| 1976 | 21.5 °C |
| 1977 | 22.0 °C |
| 1978 | 21.5 °C |
| 1979 | 22.4 °C |
| 1980 | 21.2 °C |
| 1981 | 23.8 °C |
| 1982 | 21.4 °C |
| 1983 | 21.0 °C |
| 1984 | 23.3 °C |
| 1985 | 22.6 °C |
| 1986 | 22.0 °C |
| 1987 | 22.6 °C |
| 1988 | 22.2 °C |
| 1989 | 22.9 °C |
| 1990 | 22.6 °C |
| 1991 | 21.7 °C |
| 1992 | 23.1 °C |
| 1993 | 21.9 °C |
| 1994 | 23.4 °C |
| 1995 | 21.6 °C |
| 1996 | 23.9 °C |
| 1997 | 23.3 °C |
| 1998 | 20.5 °C |
| 1999 | 21.7 °C |
| 2001 | 23.9 °C |
| 2002 | 23.7 °C |
| 2003 | 23.3 °C |
| 2004 | 23.5 °C |
| 2005 | 22.3 °C |
| 2006 | 23.4 °C |
| 2007 | 23.8 °C |
| 2008 | 23.8 °C |
| 2009 | 23.4 °C |
| 2010 | 22.1 °C |
| 2011 | 22.2 °C |
| 2012 | 24.1 °C |
| 2013 | 24.3 °C |
| 2014 | 23.5 °C |
| 2015 | 23.2 °C |
| 2016 | 24.1 °C |
| 2017 | 24.1 °C |
| 2018 | 24.3 °C |
| 2019 | 22.8 °C |
| 2020 | 23.8 °C |
| 2021 | 25.2 °C |
| 2022 | 25.1 °C |
| 2023 | 22.8 °C |
| 2024 | 24.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1975, California City's last spring frost has come about 3 days 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 Lancaster (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.