When to plant in Durham, CA
Planting dates worked out from Durham's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 12
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
Nov 18
1 year in 10 by Nov 5
Frost-free days
239
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Chico California · 7.5 km away · station 70 m, town 49 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 15 – Mar 1 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 6 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 11 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 14 – Jan 21 | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Mar 30 |
| Peas | — | Feb 4 – Mar 4 | Mar 31 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | May 25 |
| 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 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 1 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | May 27 |
| Winter squash | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jul 1 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | Jun 4 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 18 – Mar 11 | May 19 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 4 – Dec 2 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 4 – Mar 4 | Mar 14 |
| Basil | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 8 |
Durham'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 |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Mar 27 |
| 1992 | Jan 23 |
| 1993 | Apr 12 |
| 1994 | Feb 14 |
| 1997 | Apr 5 |
| 1998 | Mar 7 |
| 1999 | Apr 9 |
| 2000 | Jan 29 |
| 2001 | Apr 10 |
| 2002 | Mar 18 |
| 2003 | Mar 4 |
| 2004 | Feb 28 |
| 2005 | Apr 14 |
| 2006 | Mar 19 |
| 2007 | Feb 19 |
| 2008 | Apr 20 |
| 2009 | Mar 30 |
| 2010 | Mar 14 |
| 2011 | Apr 9 |
| 2012 | Apr 5 |
| 2013 | Mar 23 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 239 |
| 1992 | 289 |
| 1993 | 214 |
| 1994 | 261 |
| 1997 | 247 |
| 1998 | 246 |
| 1999 | 226 |
| 2000 | 285 |
| 2001 | 230 |
| 2002 | 226 |
| 2003 | 261 |
| 2004 | 265 |
| 2005 | 226 |
| 2006 | 235 |
| 2007 | 274 |
| 2008 | 228 |
| 2009 | 227 |
| 2010 | 253 |
| 2011 | 209 |
| 2012 | 219 |
| 2013 | 246 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 20.2 °C |
| 1992 | 22.6 °C |
| 1993 | 20.8 °C |
| 1994 | 21.6 °C |
| 1995 | 21.3 °C |
| 1997 | 22.3 °C |
| 1998 | 20.7 °C |
| 1999 | 21.1 °C |
| 2000 | 21.7 °C |
| 2001 | 22.1 °C |
| 2002 | 21.8 °C |
| 2003 | 21.7 °C |
| 2004 | 22.1 °C |
| 2005 | 21.7 °C |
| 2006 | 22.7 °C |
| 2007 | 22.0 °C |
| 2008 | 22.4 °C |
| 2009 | 22.4 °C |
| 2010 | 20.7 °C |
| 2011 | 20.9 °C |
| 2012 | 22.2 °C |
| 2013 | 22.4 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Chico California (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.