When to plant in Challenge-Brownsville, CA
Planting dates worked out from Challenge-Brownsville's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 18
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 5
1 year in 10 by Nov 20
Frost-free days
272
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Jarbo Gap California · 35.8 km away · station 759 m, town 765 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 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 14 – Jan 21 | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Mar 30 |
| Peas | — | Feb 4 – Mar 4 | Mar 31 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 1 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 25 – Apr 8 | Apr 26 |
| Beet | — | Feb 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 9 |
| Potato | — | Feb 25 – Mar 18 | May 6 |
| Kale | Jan 7 – Jan 21 | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 2 |
| Broccoli | Jan 7 – Jan 21 | Feb 18 – Mar 11 | Apr 19 |
| Cucumber | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 3 |
| Winter squash | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jul 8 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 18 – Mar 11 | May 19 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 6 – Dec 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 4 – Mar 4 | Mar 14 |
| Basil | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 15 |
Challenge-Brownsville'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 |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Feb 7 |
| 2005 | Apr 8 |
| 2006 | Mar 21 |
| 2007 | Apr 18 |
| 2008 | Apr 21 |
| 2009 | Mar 23 |
| 2010 | May 22 |
| 2011 | Apr 8 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Feb 19 |
| 2014 | Mar 31 |
| 2016 | Feb 3 |
| 2017 | Mar 6 |
| 2018 | Mar 18 |
| 2019 | Feb 23 |
| 2020 | Mar 26 |
| 2021 | Mar 15 |
| 2022 | Apr 12 |
| 2023 | Apr 4 |
| 2024 | May 4 |
| 2025 | Apr 2 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 294 |
| 2005 | 238 |
| 2006 | 250 |
| 2007 | 226 |
| 2008 | 235 |
| 2009 | 257 |
| 2010 | 181 |
| 2011 | 224 |
| 2012 | 242 |
| 2013 | 287 |
| 2014 | 272 |
| 2015 | 327 |
| 2016 | 305 |
| 2017 | 288 |
| 2018 | 287 |
| 2019 | 275 |
| 2020 | 279 |
| 2021 | 272 |
| 2022 | 209 |
| 2023 | 270 |
| 2024 | 240 |
| 2025 | 272 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 22.1 °C |
| 2005 | 20.6 °C |
| 2006 | 22.2 °C |
| 2007 | 21.6 °C |
| 2008 | 22.5 °C |
| 2009 | 21.7 °C |
| 2010 | 19.4 °C |
| 2011 | 19.4 °C |
| 2012 | 21.3 °C |
| 2013 | 21.5 °C |
| 2014 | 22.0 °C |
| 2015 | 21.7 °C |
| 2016 | 21.6 °C |
| 2017 | 21.9 °C |
| 2018 | 21.7 °C |
| 2019 | 20.8 °C |
| 2020 | 21.9 °C |
| 2021 | 23.0 °C |
| 2022 | 21.4 °C |
| 2023 | 20.4 °C |
| 2024 | 22.1 °C |
| 2025 | 22.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Jarbo Gap California (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.