When to plant in Esparto, CA
Planting dates worked out from Esparto's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 8
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 1
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 28
1 year in 10 by Nov 11
Frost-free days
268
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Brooks California · 12.2 km away · station 108 m, town 58 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 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 28 – Jan 4 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 13 |
| Peas | — | Jan 18 – Feb 15 | Mar 14 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 9 |
| Beet | — | Feb 1 – Mar 15 | Mar 23 |
| Potato | — | Feb 8 – Mar 1 | Apr 19 |
| Kale | Dec 21 – Jan 4 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 16 |
| Broccoli | Dec 21 – Jan 4 | Feb 1 – Feb 22 | Apr 2 |
| Cucumber | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 23 |
| Winter squash | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 31 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 1 – Feb 22 | May 2 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 14 – Dec 12 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 18 – Feb 15 | Feb 25 |
| Basil | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 4 |
Esparto'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 21 |
| 1993 | Feb 15 |
| 1994 | Mar 23 |
| 1995 | Mar 24 |
| 1996 | Feb 26 |
| 1997 | Mar 5 |
| 1999 | Apr 9 |
| 2000 | Feb 24 |
| 2001 | Apr 8 |
| 2002 | Mar 15 |
| 2003 | Feb 10 |
| 2004 | Feb 11 |
| 2005 | Jan 15 |
| 2006 | Mar 13 |
| 2007 | Feb 28 |
| 2008 | Apr 24 |
| 2009 | Mar 11 |
| 2011 | Apr 8 |
| 2012 | Apr 6 |
| 2013 | Feb 20 |
| 2014 | Feb 5 |
| 2015 | Jan 4 |
| 2016 | Jan 2 |
| 2017 | Feb 26 |
| 2018 | Mar 18 |
| 2020 | Mar 26 |
| 2021 | Mar 16 |
| 2022 | Feb 26 |
| 2023 | Mar 27 |
| 2024 | Jan 7 |
| 2025 | Feb 12 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 233 |
| 1992 | 293 |
| 1993 | 273 |
| 1994 | 235 |
| 1995 | 271 |
| 1996 | 278 |
| 1997 | 281 |
| 1999 | 228 |
| 2000 | 259 |
| 2001 | 266 |
| 2002 | 259 |
| 2003 | 266 |
| 2004 | 290 |
| 2005 | 315 |
| 2006 | 255 |
| 2007 | 274 |
| 2008 | 223 |
| 2009 | 252 |
| 2010 | 326 |
| 2011 | 241 |
| 2012 | 218 |
| 2013 | 286 |
| 2014 | 326 |
| 2015 | 324 |
| 2016 | 336 |
| 2017 | 286 |
| 2018 | 259 |
| 2020 | 228 |
| 2021 | 269 |
| 2022 | 260 |
| 2023 | 243 |
| 2024 | 315 |
| 2025 | 320 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 23.6 °C |
| 1993 | 21.6 °C |
| 1994 | 22.3 °C |
| 1995 | 21.5 °C |
| 1996 | 23.0 °C |
| 1997 | 23.4 °C |
| 1998 | 21.3 °C |
| 1999 | 21.5 °C |
| 2000 | 22.3 °C |
| 2001 | 22.9 °C |
| 2002 | 22.7 °C |
| 2003 | 22.4 °C |
| 2004 | 23.2 °C |
| 2005 | 21.8 °C |
| 2006 | 22.6 °C |
| 2007 | 22.6 °C |
| 2008 | 22.8 °C |
| 2009 | 23.1 °C |
| 2010 | 21.2 °C |
| 2011 | 21.6 °C |
| 2012 | 22.8 °C |
| 2013 | 23.4 °C |
| 2014 | 23.8 °C |
| 2015 | 23.2 °C |
| 2016 | 23.2 °C |
| 2017 | 23.7 °C |
| 2018 | 23.7 °C |
| 2019 | 23.0 °C |
| 2020 | 24.0 °C |
| 2021 | 24.8 °C |
| 2022 | 24.1 °C |
| 2023 | 22.7 °C |
| 2024 | 24.1 °C |
| 2025 | 23.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1991, Esparto's last spring frost has come about 5 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 8 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Brooks California (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.