When to plant in Calistoga, CA
Planting dates worked out from Calistoga's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 14
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 17
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 12
1 year in 10 by Oct 28
Frost-free days
230
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Calistoga · 0.3 km away · station 107 m, town 106 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 | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 8 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 13 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 13 – Jan 20 | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Mar 29 |
| Peas | — | Feb 3 – Mar 3 | Mar 30 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | May 27 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 24 – Apr 7 | Apr 25 |
| Beet | — | Feb 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 8 |
| Potato | — | Feb 24 – Mar 17 | May 5 |
| Kale | Jan 6 – Jan 20 | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 1 |
| Broccoli | Jan 6 – Jan 20 | Feb 17 – Mar 10 | Apr 18 |
| Cucumber | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 3 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | May 29 |
| Winter squash | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jul 3 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jun 6 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 17 – Mar 10 | May 18 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 29 – Nov 26 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 3 – Mar 3 | Mar 13 |
| Basil | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 10 |
Calistoga'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 |
|---|---|
| 1917 | Apr 8 |
| 1981 | May 14 |
| 1982 | Apr 9 |
| 1983 | May 10 |
| 1984 | May 14 |
| 1985 | Mar 28 |
| 1986 | Apr 2 |
| 1987 | Mar 23 |
| 1988 | Mar 13 |
| 1989 | Feb 28 |
| 1990 | Feb 19 |
| 1991 | Mar 14 |
| 1992 | Feb 5 |
| 1993 | Apr 10 |
| 1994 | Mar 23 |
| 1996 | Mar 25 |
| 2002 | Apr 28 |
| 2003 | Apr 5 |
| 2004 | Feb 28 |
| 2005 | Apr 14 |
| 2006 | Mar 14 |
| 2007 | Mar 3 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2011 | Apr 9 |
| 2012 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | Mar 31 |
| 2014 | Feb 5 |
| 2015 | Feb 24 |
| 2016 | Jan 14 |
| 2017 | Feb 26 |
| 2019 | Feb 23 |
| 2020 | Apr 6 |
| 2022 | Mar 12 |
| 2023 | Apr 4 |
| 2024 | Feb 11 |
| 2025 | Feb 12 |
| 2026 | Feb 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 149 |
| 1982 | 169 |
| 1983 | 181 |
| 1984 | 195 |
| 1985 | 227 |
| 1986 | 234 |
| 1987 | 266 |
| 1988 | 262 |
| 1989 | 271 |
| 1990 | 268 |
| 1991 | 230 |
| 1992 | 276 |
| 1993 | 219 |
| 2003 | 209 |
| 2004 | 267 |
| 2005 | 218 |
| 2006 | 240 |
| 2007 | 262 |
| 2008 | 167 |
| 2011 | 207 |
| 2012 | 215 |
| 2013 | 210 |
| 2014 | 322 |
| 2015 | 253 |
| 2016 | 336 |
| 2019 | 249 |
| 2020 | 216 |
| 2022 | 246 |
| 2023 | 235 |
| 2024 | 289 |
| 2025 | 320 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 19.1 °C |
| 1982 | 18.4 °C |
| 1983 | 18.7 °C |
| 1984 | 19.7 °C |
| 1990 | 20.1 °C |
| 1991 | 19.4 °C |
| 1992 | 20.6 °C |
| 1995 | 18.8 °C |
| 1996 | 19.7 °C |
| 2007 | 19.1 °C |
| 2008 | 19.2 °C |
| 2011 | 18.6 °C |
| 2012 | 18.8 °C |
| 2013 | 19.8 °C |
| 2014 | 19.8 °C |
| 2015 | 19.7 °C |
| 2016 | 19.7 °C |
| 2017 | 20.3 °C |
| 2019 | 20.2 °C |
| 2020 | 20.1 °C |
| 2021 | 20.4 °C |
| 2022 | 19.9 °C |
| 2023 | 19.1 °C |
| 2024 | 20.2 °C |
| 2025 | 19.7 °C |
| 2026 | 19.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1917, Calistoga's last spring frost has come about 6 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 12 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Calistoga (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.