When to plant in Happy Camp, CA
Planting dates worked out from Happy Camp's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 25
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 27
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 20
1 year in 10 by Nov 4
Frost-free days
234
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Somes Bar California · 45.8 km away · station 280 m, town 331 m. How we match towns to stations
The nearest reliable station is 46 km away, so frost dates here may be off by a week or more. Check them against local experience.
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 19 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 24 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 23 – Jan 30 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 8 |
| Peas | — | Feb 13 – Mar 13 | Apr 9 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 7 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 6 – Apr 17 | May 5 |
| Beet | — | Feb 27 – Apr 10 | Apr 18 |
| Potato | — | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | May 15 |
| Kale | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 11 |
| Broccoli | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Feb 27 – Mar 20 | Apr 28 |
| Cucumber | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 14 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 9 |
| Winter squash | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jul 14 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 17 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 27 – Mar 20 | May 28 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 1 – Nov 29 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 13 – Mar 13 | Mar 23 |
| Basil | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 21 |
Happy Camp'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 |
|---|---|
| 1989 | Mar 3 |
| 1990 | Mar 13 |
| 1991 | Apr 11 |
| 1992 | Apr 6 |
| 1993 | Feb 28 |
| 1994 | Mar 20 |
| 1995 | Apr 19 |
| 1996 | Mar 26 |
| 1997 | Apr 2 |
| 1999 | Apr 28 |
| 2000 | Mar 20 |
| 2001 | Apr 5 |
| 2005 | Apr 8 |
| 2007 | Mar 28 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2010 | May 6 |
| 2011 | Apr 9 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 16 |
| 2014 | Feb 6 |
| 2015 | Mar 1 |
| 2016 | Feb 1 |
| 2017 | Mar 6 |
| 2018 | Mar 2 |
| 2019 | Mar 14 |
| 2020 | Apr 3 |
| 2021 | Mar 26 |
| 2022 | Apr 15 |
| 2023 | Apr 13 |
| 2024 | Apr 6 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1989 | 281 |
| 1990 | 233 |
| 1991 | 217 |
| 1992 | 216 |
| 1993 | 257 |
| 1994 | 227 |
| 1995 | 198 |
| 1996 | 224 |
| 1997 | 259 |
| 1999 | 219 |
| 2000 | 234 |
| 2001 | 216 |
| 2005 | 239 |
| 2007 | 237 |
| 2008 | 217 |
| 2010 | 200 |
| 2011 | 235 |
| 2012 | 239 |
| 2014 | 283 |
| 2015 | 268 |
| 2016 | 303 |
| 2017 | 272 |
| 2018 | 250 |
| 2019 | 227 |
| 2020 | 218 |
| 2021 | 242 |
| 2022 | 213 |
| 2023 | 198 |
| 2024 | 223 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1989 | 19.4 °C |
| 1990 | 20.0 °C |
| 1991 | 19.8 °C |
| 1992 | 21.4 °C |
| 1993 | 19.0 °C |
| 1994 | 19.8 °C |
| 1995 | 19.4 °C |
| 1996 | 20.1 °C |
| 1997 | 19.9 °C |
| 1998 | 20.7 °C |
| 1999 | 19.0 °C |
| 2000 | 20.0 °C |
| 2001 | 20.1 °C |
| 2005 | 19.6 °C |
| 2007 | 19.9 °C |
| 2008 | 20.0 °C |
| 2009 | 20.6 °C |
| 2010 | 19.2 °C |
| 2011 | 19.6 °C |
| 2012 | 20.7 °C |
| 2014 | 21.7 °C |
| 2015 | 21.4 °C |
| 2016 | 21.6 °C |
| 2017 | 20.7 °C |
| 2018 | 20.6 °C |
| 2019 | 20.5 °C |
| 2020 | 20.8 °C |
| 2021 | 21.5 °C |
| 2022 | 19.7 °C |
| 2023 | 20.2 °C |
| 2024 | 21.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1989, Happy Camp's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Somes Bar California (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.