When to plant in El Dorado Hills, CA
Planting dates worked out from El Dorado Hills's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 11
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 11
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 30
1 year in 10 by Nov 11
Frost-free days
258
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Ben Bolt California · 16.7 km away · station 276 m, town 234 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 14 – Feb 28 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 5 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 10 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 7 – Jan 14 | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Mar 23 |
| Peas | — | Jan 28 – Feb 25 | Mar 24 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | May 24 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 19 |
| Beet | — | Feb 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 2 |
| Potato | — | Feb 18 – Mar 11 | Apr 29 |
| Kale | Dec 31 – Jan 14 | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Mar 26 |
| Broccoli | Dec 31 – Jan 14 | Feb 11 – Mar 4 | Apr 12 |
| Cucumber | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 31 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 26 |
| Winter squash | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 30 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 3 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 11 – Mar 4 | May 12 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 16 – Dec 14 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 28 – Feb 25 | Mar 7 |
| Basil | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 7 |
El Dorado Hills'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 | Feb 2 |
| 1992 | Feb 3 |
| 1993 | Jan 28 |
| 1994 | Mar 23 |
| 1995 | Feb 15 |
| 1996 | Mar 23 |
| 1997 | Apr 6 |
| 1998 | Mar 7 |
| 1999 | Apr 10 |
| 2001 | Apr 9 |
| 2002 | Mar 18 |
| 2003 | Apr 15 |
| 2004 | Feb 28 |
| 2005 | Jan 30 |
| 2006 | Mar 12 |
| 2007 | Apr 19 |
| 2008 | Apr 20 |
| 2009 | Mar 23 |
| 2010 | Mar 9 |
| 2011 | Apr 9 |
| 2012 | Apr 6 |
| 2013 | Mar 23 |
| 2014 | Feb 5 |
| 2015 | Jan 24 |
| 2016 | Feb 3 |
| 2017 | Feb 28 |
| 2018 | Mar 18 |
| 2019 | Feb 23 |
| 2020 | Mar 27 |
| 2021 | Mar 16 |
| 2022 | Apr 12 |
| 2023 | Apr 5 |
| 2024 | Jan 12 |
| 2025 | Feb 12 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 311 |
| 1992 | 279 |
| 1993 | 290 |
| 1994 | 234 |
| 1995 | 304 |
| 1996 | 282 |
| 1997 | 246 |
| 1998 | 256 |
| 1999 | 225 |
| 2001 | 231 |
| 2002 | 275 |
| 2003 | 219 |
| 2004 | 265 |
| 2005 | 300 |
| 2006 | 256 |
| 2007 | 224 |
| 2008 | 230 |
| 2009 | 256 |
| 2010 | 258 |
| 2011 | 209 |
| 2012 | 218 |
| 2013 | 255 |
| 2014 | 324 |
| 2015 | 305 |
| 2016 | 306 |
| 2017 | 278 |
| 2018 | 285 |
| 2019 | 295 |
| 2020 | 226 |
| 2021 | 272 |
| 2022 | 233 |
| 2023 | 269 |
| 2024 | 330 |
| 2025 | 303 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 19.6 °C |
| 1992 | 21.1 °C |
| 1993 | 19.8 °C |
| 1994 | 19.9 °C |
| 1995 | 19.2 °C |
| 1996 | 21.2 °C |
| 1997 | 21.3 °C |
| 1998 | 20.2 °C |
| 1999 | 19.0 °C |
| 2001 | 20.8 °C |
| 2002 | 20.5 °C |
| 2003 | 20.6 °C |
| 2004 | 20.9 °C |
| 2005 | 20.5 °C |
| 2006 | 21.3 °C |
| 2007 | 20.4 °C |
| 2008 | 21.0 °C |
| 2009 | 21.3 °C |
| 2010 | 19.7 °C |
| 2011 | 20.0 °C |
| 2012 | 21.5 °C |
| 2013 | 21.6 °C |
| 2014 | 22.1 °C |
| 2015 | 21.6 °C |
| 2016 | 21.7 °C |
| 2017 | 22.2 °C |
| 2018 | 21.4 °C |
| 2019 | 21.2 °C |
| 2020 | 22.3 °C |
| 2021 | 22.4 °C |
| 2022 | 22.0 °C |
| 2023 | 20.9 °C |
| 2024 | 22.6 °C |
| 2025 | 21.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1991, El Dorado Hills's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown 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 Ben Bolt California (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.