When to plant in Columbia, CA
Planting dates worked out from Columbia's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 28
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 7
1 year in 10 by Oct 25
Frost-free days
213
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Sonora · 7.8 km away · station 510 m, town 652 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 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 27 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 6 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 22 |
| Peas | — | Feb 27 – Mar 27 | Apr 23 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 19 |
| Beet | — | Mar 13 – Apr 24 | May 2 |
| Potato | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 29 |
| Kale | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 25 |
| Broccoli | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | May 12 |
| Cucumber | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 17 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 12 |
| Winter squash | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | Jun 11 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 24 – Nov 21 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 27 – Mar 27 | Apr 6 |
| Basil | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 24 |
Columbia'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 |
|---|---|
| 1907 | Mar 28 |
| 1909 | Mar 30 |
| 1910 | Feb 21 |
| 1911 | Apr 13 |
| 1912 | Apr 20 |
| 1913 | Mar 26 |
| 1914 | Mar 30 |
| 1915 | May 2 |
| 1916 | Mar 24 |
| 1919 | Mar 15 |
| 1921 | Feb 16 |
| 1922 | Mar 13 |
| 1923 | Feb 10 |
| 1924 | Mar 21 |
| 1925 | Mar 12 |
| 1926 | Mar 10 |
| 1927 | May 21 |
| 1928 | Apr 4 |
| 1929 | Apr 10 |
| 1930 | Mar 2 |
| 1931 | Mar 27 |
| 1932 | Apr 21 |
| 1933 | Apr 18 |
| 1934 | Jan 25 |
| 1936 | Apr 1 |
| 1937 | Mar 30 |
| 1938 | May 3 |
| 1939 | Mar 11 |
| 1940 | Mar 13 |
| 1942 | Apr 29 |
| 1943 | Mar 15 |
| 1956 | Apr 3 |
| 1957 | Mar 23 |
| 1958 | Mar 12 |
| 1959 | Feb 24 |
| 1960 | Mar 3 |
| 1961 | May 7 |
| 1962 | Mar 23 |
| 1963 | Apr 17 |
| 1964 | May 6 |
| 1965 | May 6 |
| 1966 | Mar 22 |
| 1967 | May 1 |
| 1968 | Apr 22 |
| 1969 | Apr 7 |
| 1970 | Apr 29 |
| 1971 | Apr 26 |
| 1972 | Apr 20 |
| 1973 | Apr 18 |
| 1974 | May 17 |
| 1975 | May 4 |
| 1976 | Apr 26 |
| 1977 | Apr 2 |
| 1992 | Apr 6 |
| 1993 | Apr 15 |
| 1995 | Apr 21 |
| 1996 | Mar 29 |
| 1997 | Apr 9 |
| 1999 | Apr 28 |
| 2005 | Apr 15 |
| 2006 | Apr 18 |
| 2009 | Apr 29 |
| 2010 | May 12 |
| 2011 | Apr 15 |
| 2012 | Apr 8 |
| 2013 | Mar 24 |
| 2014 | Feb 6 |
| 2015 | Apr 16 |
| 2016 | Mar 30 |
| 2017 | Apr 14 |
| 2018 | Apr 14 |
| 2020 | Apr 5 |
| 2021 | Mar 17 |
| 2025 | Mar 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1909 | 229 |
| 1911 | 211 |
| 1912 | 224 |
| 1913 | 240 |
| 1922 | 292 |
| 1923 | 301 |
| 1924 | 271 |
| 1925 | 237 |
| 1926 | 277 |
| 1927 | 184 |
| 1928 | 237 |
| 1929 | 216 |
| 1930 | 257 |
| 1931 | 229 |
| 1932 | 195 |
| 1933 | 224 |
| 1934 | 310 |
| 1936 | 243 |
| 1937 | 266 |
| 1938 | 191 |
| 1939 | 228 |
| 1940 | 241 |
| 1942 | 188 |
| 1943 | 252 |
| 1956 | 203 |
| 1957 | 227 |
| 1958 | 247 |
| 1959 | 288 |
| 1960 | 260 |
| 1961 | 192 |
| 1962 | 239 |
| 1963 | 203 |
| 1964 | 191 |
| 1965 | 199 |
| 1966 | 245 |
| 1967 | 209 |
| 1969 | 223 |
| 1970 | 181 |
| 1971 | 173 |
| 1972 | 191 |
| 1973 | 198 |
| 1974 | 189 |
| 1975 | 171 |
| 1976 | 212 |
| 1992 | 217 |
| 1993 | 213 |
| 1997 | 198 |
| 1999 | 207 |
| 2005 | 225 |
| 2006 | 195 |
| 2009 | 159 |
| 2010 | 180 |
| 2011 | 203 |
| 2012 | 214 |
| 2013 | 225 |
| 2014 | 283 |
| 2015 | 202 |
| 2016 | 231 |
| 2017 | 233 |
| 2018 | 210 |
| 2020 | 218 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1908 | 20.2 °C |
| 1909 | 20.0 °C |
| 1911 | 19.1 °C |
| 1912 | 18.6 °C |
| 1913 | 19.8 °C |
| 1916 | 18.7 °C |
| 1921 | 20.5 °C |
| 1922 | 20.9 °C |
| 1923 | 20.3 °C |
| 1924 | 22.5 °C |
| 1925 | 20.6 °C |
| 1926 | 22.2 °C |
| 1927 | 21.0 °C |
| 1928 | 21.7 °C |
| 1929 | 20.9 °C |
| 1930 | 20.6 °C |
| 1931 | 22.5 °C |
| 1932 | 21.3 °C |
| 1933 | 20.8 °C |
| 1934 | 22.4 °C |
| 1935 | 21.9 °C |
| 1936 | 22.2 °C |
| 1937 | 22.0 °C |
| 1938 | 21.2 °C |
| 1939 | 21.6 °C |
| 1940 | 21.2 °C |
| 1942 | 20.1 °C |
| 1943 | 20.4 °C |
| 1956 | 19.8 °C |
| 1957 | 20.5 °C |
| 1958 | 21.0 °C |
| 1959 | 21.2 °C |
| 1960 | 21.6 °C |
| 1961 | 21.1 °C |
| 1962 | 21.0 °C |
| 1963 | 19.6 °C |
| 1965 | 18.3 °C |
| 1966 | 20.4 °C |
| 1967 | 19.6 °C |
| 1969 | 20.1 °C |
| 1970 | 19.8 °C |
| 1971 | 18.9 °C |
| 1972 | 19.9 °C |
| 1973 | 20.1 °C |
| 1974 | 19.8 °C |
| 1975 | 18.6 °C |
| 1976 | 19.0 °C |
| 1977 | 19.8 °C |
| 1992 | 21.0 °C |
| 1993 | 19.4 °C |
| 1997 | 20.9 °C |
| 1999 | 18.0 °C |
| 2005 | 18.7 °C |
| 2006 | 19.4 °C |
| 2009 | 19.7 °C |
| 2010 | 17.9 °C |
| 2011 | 18.0 °C |
| 2012 | 19.5 °C |
| 2013 | 19.7 °C |
| 2014 | 20.1 °C |
| 2015 | 19.6 °C |
| 2016 | 19.5 °C |
| 2017 | 20.0 °C |
| 2018 | 19.7 °C |
| 2020 | 20.4 °C |
| 2021 | 21.2 °C |
| 2024 | 20.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1907, Columbia's last spring frost has come about 2 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 Sonora (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.