When to plant in El Verano, CA
Planting dates worked out from El Verano's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 30
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 28
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 29
1 year in 10 by Nov 10
Frost-free days
269
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Sonoma · 2.6 km away · station 30 m, town 33 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 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 24 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 29 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 27 – Jan 3 | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 12 |
| Peas | — | Jan 17 – Feb 14 | Mar 13 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | May 12 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 8 |
| Beet | — | Jan 31 – Mar 14 | Mar 22 |
| Potato | — | Feb 7 – Feb 28 | Apr 18 |
| Kale | Dec 20 – Jan 3 | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 15 |
| Broccoli | Dec 20 – Jan 3 | Jan 31 – Feb 21 | Apr 1 |
| Cucumber | Mar 2 – Mar 9 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 19 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 2 – Mar 9 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 14 |
| Winter squash | Mar 2 – Mar 9 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | Jun 18 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | May 22 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 31 – Feb 21 | May 1 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 15 – Dec 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 17 – Feb 14 | Feb 24 |
| Basil | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 26 |
El Verano'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 |
|---|---|
| 1893 | Feb 7 |
| 1894 | May 2 |
| 1905 | Feb 14 |
| 1952 | Jun 12 |
| 1953 | Apr 12 |
| 1954 | Apr 10 |
| 1955 | Apr 27 |
| 1956 | Apr 3 |
| 1957 | Mar 25 |
| 1958 | Mar 19 |
| 1959 | Mar 14 |
| 1960 | Apr 24 |
| 1961 | Apr 26 |
| 1962 | Mar 24 |
| 1963 | Apr 21 |
| 1964 | May 15 |
| 1965 | Apr 7 |
| 1966 | Mar 20 |
| 1967 | May 4 |
| 1968 | Apr 21 |
| 1969 | Apr 4 |
| 1970 | Apr 29 |
| 1971 | Apr 21 |
| 1972 | Mar 31 |
| 1973 | Mar 22 |
| 1974 | Mar 9 |
| 1975 | Apr 17 |
| 1976 | Apr 28 |
| 1977 | Mar 31 |
| 1979 | Feb 4 |
| 1981 | Feb 3 |
| 1982 | Apr 8 |
| 1983 | Apr 14 |
| 1986 | Feb 8 |
| 1987 | Mar 23 |
| 1988 | Mar 13 |
| 1989 | Feb 28 |
| 1990 | Mar 13 |
| 1991 | Feb 1 |
| 1992 | Feb 4 |
| 1993 | Feb 28 |
| 1994 | Mar 23 |
| 1995 | Feb 15 |
| 1996 | Mar 8 |
| 1997 | Mar 5 |
| 1998 | Mar 7 |
| 1999 | Apr 9 |
| 2000 | Feb 24 |
| 2001 | Feb 14 |
| 2002 | Mar 8 |
| 2003 | Feb 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 17 |
| 2005 | Jan 12 |
| 2006 | Mar 13 |
| 2007 | Mar 2 |
| 2008 | Apr 7 |
| 2009 | Mar 13 |
| 2011 | Mar 1 |
| 2012 | Mar 17 |
| 2013 | Feb 26 |
| 2015 | Jan 5 |
| 2016 | Jan 2 |
| 2017 | Mar 1 |
| 2018 | Mar 18 |
| 2019 | Feb 23 |
| 2020 | Mar 26 |
| 2021 | Mar 15 |
| 2022 | Feb 26 |
| 2023 | Mar 27 |
| 2024 | Feb 8 |
| 2025 | Feb 12 |
| 2026 | Feb 20 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1952 | 141 |
| 1953 | 194 |
| 1954 | 176 |
| 1955 | 188 |
| 1956 | 203 |
| 1957 | 223 |
| 1958 | 237 |
| 1959 | 237 |
| 1960 | 209 |
| 1961 | 178 |
| 1962 | 249 |
| 1963 | 193 |
| 1964 | 182 |
| 1965 | 232 |
| 1966 | 208 |
| 1967 | 202 |
| 1968 | 206 |
| 1969 | 226 |
| 1970 | 180 |
| 1971 | 179 |
| 1972 | 236 |
| 1973 | 226 |
| 1974 | 244 |
| 1975 | 205 |
| 1976 | 213 |
| 1977 | 233 |
| 1978 | 314 |
| 1981 | 298 |
| 1982 | 215 |
| 1983 | 213 |
| 1986 | 291 |
| 1987 | 248 |
| 1988 | 262 |
| 1989 | 273 |
| 1990 | 255 |
| 1991 | 293 |
| 1992 | 279 |
| 1993 | 260 |
| 1994 | 232 |
| 1995 | 318 |
| 1996 | 268 |
| 1997 | 284 |
| 1998 | 271 |
| 1999 | 238 |
| 2000 | 259 |
| 2001 | 319 |
| 2002 | 297 |
| 2003 | 285 |
| 2004 | 225 |
| 2005 | 318 |
| 2006 | 229 |
| 2007 | 263 |
| 2008 | 242 |
| 2009 | 248 |
| 2011 | 251 |
| 2012 | 270 |
| 2015 | 325 |
| 2016 | 338 |
| 2018 | 236 |
| 2022 | 266 |
| 2023 | 243 |
| 2024 | 293 |
| 2025 | 319 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1893 | 16.9 °C |
| 1905 | 18.2 °C |
| 1952 | 17.3 °C |
| 1953 | 16.7 °C |
| 1954 | 17.1 °C |
| 1955 | 16.8 °C |
| 1956 | 17.7 °C |
| 1957 | 18.3 °C |
| 1958 | 19.1 °C |
| 1959 | 18.8 °C |
| 1960 | 18.4 °C |
| 1961 | 18.4 °C |
| 1962 | 18.0 °C |
| 1963 | 17.8 °C |
| 1964 | 17.5 °C |
| 1965 | 17.4 °C |
| 1966 | 18.4 °C |
| 1967 | 17.9 °C |
| 1968 | 18.6 °C |
| 1969 | 18.5 °C |
| 1970 | 18.1 °C |
| 1971 | 17.8 °C |
| 1972 | 19.2 °C |
| 1973 | 20.0 °C |
| 1974 | 19.4 °C |
| 1975 | 18.8 °C |
| 1976 | 18.7 °C |
| 1977 | 19.2 °C |
| 1978 | 19.6 °C |
| 1979 | 19.9 °C |
| 1981 | 19.6 °C |
| 1982 | 18.0 °C |
| 1986 | 18.1 °C |
| 1988 | 19.1 °C |
| 1989 | 18.8 °C |
| 1990 | 19.6 °C |
| 1991 | 17.9 °C |
| 1992 | 19.7 °C |
| 2013 | 18.9 °C |
| 2014 | 19.3 °C |
| 2015 | 19.0 °C |
| 2016 | 18.8 °C |
| 2018 | 18.5 °C |
| 2019 | 19.0 °C |
| 2020 | 20.0 °C |
| 2021 | 19.4 °C |
| 2022 | 19.7 °C |
| 2023 | 18.4 °C |
| 2024 | 19.7 °C |
| 2025 | 19.3 °C |
| 2026 | 19.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1893, El Verano's last spring frost has come about 5 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 14 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Sonoma (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.