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When to plant in Elk Grove, CA

Planting dates worked out from Elk Grove's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Last spring frost

  1. Early · riskyJan 119 years in 10 still get a later frost
  2. TypicalFeb 13about half of years get a later frost
  3. Safe to plant outMar 81 year in 10 gets a later frost

Hardy crops like peas and spinach are timed from the typical date. Wait for the safe date before planting out tomatoes, peppers and squash.

First fall frost

  1. EarlyNov 121 year in 10 has frost by then
  2. TypicalDec 4about half of years have had frost
  3. LateNo frostsome years have no frost at all

A typical year has 286 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.

Station used: Sacramento Ap Asos · 15.4 km away · station 6 m, town 14 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

CropStart indoorsPlant out or sowHarvest from
Tomato Jan 11 – Jan 25 Mar 8 – Mar 22 May 2
Sweet pepper Dec 28 – Jan 11 Mar 8 – Mar 22 May 7
Lettuce (leaf) Dec 12 – Dec 19 Jan 16 – Jan 30 Feb 25
Peas — Jan 2 – Jan 30 Feb 26
Bush beans — Mar 1 – Mar 22 Apr 20
Carrot — Jan 23 – Mar 6 Mar 24
Beet — Jan 16 – Feb 27 Mar 7
Potato — Jan 23 – Feb 13 Apr 3
Kale Dec 5 – Dec 19 Jan 16 – Jan 30 Feb 28
Broccoli Dec 5 – Dec 19 Jan 16 – Feb 6 Mar 17
Cucumber Feb 8 – Feb 15 Mar 8 – Mar 22 Apr 27
Summer squash and zucchini Feb 8 – Feb 15 Mar 8 – Mar 22 Apr 22
Winter squash Feb 8 – Feb 15 Mar 8 – Mar 22 May 27
Sweet corn — Mar 1 – Mar 22 Apr 30
Onion (from sets) — Jan 16 – Feb 6 Apr 16
Garlic — Nov 17 – Dec 15 (fall) following summer
Spinach — Jan 2 – Jan 30 Feb 9
Basil Jan 25 – Feb 8 Mar 8 – Mar 22 May 4

Plan all 65 crops for Elk Grove

Elk Grove's weather over time

How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.

Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1 19501960197019801990200020102020
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
YearLast spring frost
1948Mar 11
1949Feb 17
1950Mar 12
1951Mar 3
1952Jan 9
1953Apr 8
1954Mar 13
1955Mar 17
1956Feb 18
1957Feb 5
1958Jan 22
1959Feb 9
1960Jan 17
1961Jan 22
1962Feb 27
1963Mar 15
1964Mar 7
1965Feb 12
1966Mar 4
1967Mar 5
1968Jan 12
1969Jan 31
1970Jan 6
1971Mar 6
1972Feb 3
1973Jan 27
1974Feb 8
1975Feb 22
1976Mar 6
1977Mar 14
1979Feb 8
1980Mar 18
1981Feb 4
1982Feb 24
1983Jan 20
1985Feb 9
1987Mar 19
1988Feb 5
1989Feb 15
1990Feb 18
1991Mar 11
1992Feb 4
1993Jan 11
1994Feb 14
1995Feb 15
1996Feb 26
1997Jan 14
1998Mar 7
1999Apr 9
2000Jan 9
2001Feb 8
2002Mar 8
2003Feb 9
2004Jan 23
2005Jan 30
2006Mar 11
2007Mar 1
2008Feb 5
2009Feb 10
2011Feb 27
2012Feb 27
2013Feb 22
2014Feb 5
2015Feb 24
2017Feb 24
2018Mar 4
2019Feb 23
2020Feb 5
2021Jan 26
2022Feb 26
2023Feb 22

What this means for you: Since 1948, Elk Grove's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 1 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Sacramento Ap Asos (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

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