When to plant in Descanso, CA
Planting dates worked out from Descanso's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 27
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 25
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 9
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
192
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Descanso California · 0.7 km away · station 1061 m, town 1034 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 1 – Apr 15 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 21 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 26 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 7 |
| Peas | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | May 8 |
| Bush beans | — | May 20 – Jun 10 | Jul 9 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 4 – May 16 | Jun 3 |
| Beet | — | Mar 28 – May 9 | May 17 |
| Potato | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 13 |
| Kale | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 10 |
| Broccoli | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | May 27 |
| Cucumber | Apr 29 – May 6 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 16 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 29 – May 6 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 11 |
| Winter squash | Apr 29 – May 6 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Aug 15 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 20 – Jun 10 | Jul 19 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | Jun 26 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 26 – Nov 23 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | Apr 21 |
| Basil | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 23 |
Descanso'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 |
|---|---|
| 1998 | May 15 |
| 2000 | Apr 19 |
| 2001 | Apr 22 |
| 2002 | May 22 |
| 2003 | May 10 |
| 2004 | Mar 1 |
| 2005 | Apr 20 |
| 2006 | Apr 24 |
| 2007 | Jun 7 |
| 2008 | Apr 24 |
| 2009 | Apr 29 |
| 2010 | May 24 |
| 2011 | Jun 2 |
| 2012 | May 27 |
| 2013 | May 24 |
| 2014 | Apr 4 |
| 2015 | Mar 4 |
| 2016 | Mar 31 |
| 2017 | Apr 14 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2019 | Mar 24 |
| 2020 | Apr 3 |
| 2021 | Apr 15 |
| 2022 | May 11 |
| 2023 | Apr 5 |
| 2024 | May 6 |
| 2025 | Apr 24 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 170 |
| 2000 | 195 |
| 2001 | 215 |
| 2002 | 155 |
| 2003 | 177 |
| 2004 | 241 |
| 2005 | 220 |
| 2006 | 188 |
| 2007 | 177 |
| 2008 | 169 |
| 2009 | 159 |
| 2010 | 168 |
| 2011 | 126 |
| 2012 | 166 |
| 2013 | 194 |
| 2014 | 264 |
| 2015 | 250 |
| 2016 | 243 |
| 2017 | 233 |
| 2018 | 225 |
| 2019 | 189 |
| 2020 | 219 |
| 2021 | 186 |
| 2022 | 169 |
| 2023 | 237 |
| 2024 | 193 |
| 2025 | 208 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 17.7 °C |
| 2000 | 19.9 °C |
| 2001 | 19.5 °C |
| 2002 | 19.2 °C |
| 2003 | 20.5 °C |
| 2004 | 19.5 °C |
| 2005 | 19.1 °C |
| 2006 | 20.2 °C |
| 2007 | 19.9 °C |
| 2008 | 20.0 °C |
| 2009 | 19.9 °C |
| 2010 | 18.0 °C |
| 2011 | 18.4 °C |
| 2012 | 20.1 °C |
| 2013 | 20.0 °C |
| 2014 | 19.7 °C |
| 2015 | 19.0 °C |
| 2016 | 19.3 °C |
| 2017 | 19.5 °C |
| 2018 | 19.9 °C |
| 2019 | 18.2 °C |
| 2020 | 19.9 °C |
| 2021 | 20.4 °C |
| 2022 | 20.0 °C |
| 2023 | 18.4 °C |
| 2024 | 19.6 °C |
| 2025 | 18.8 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Descanso California (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.