When to plant in Los Olivos, CA
Planting dates worked out from Los Olivos's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 12
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 2
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 25
1 year in 10 by Oct 24
Frost-free days
276
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Cachuma Lake · 15.5 km away · station 240 m, town 255 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 15 – Mar 1 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 6 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 11 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 29 – Jan 5 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 14 |
| Peas | — | Jan 19 – Feb 16 | Mar 15 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | May 25 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 10 |
| Beet | — | Feb 2 – Mar 16 | Mar 24 |
| Potato | — | Feb 9 – Mar 2 | Apr 20 |
| Kale | Dec 22 – Jan 5 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 17 |
| Broccoli | Dec 22 – Jan 5 | Feb 2 – Feb 23 | Apr 3 |
| Cucumber | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 1 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | May 27 |
| Winter squash | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jul 1 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | Jun 4 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 2 – Feb 23 | May 3 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 11 – Dec 9 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 19 – Feb 16 | Feb 26 |
| Basil | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 8 |
Los Olivos'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 |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Mar 28 |
| 1955 | Jun 2 |
| 1956 | Mar 13 |
| 1957 | Mar 24 |
| 1958 | Mar 10 |
| 1959 | Feb 13 |
| 1960 | Feb 26 |
| 1961 | Apr 21 |
| 1962 | Mar 7 |
| 1963 | Jan 23 |
| 1964 | Mar 26 |
| 1965 | Feb 13 |
| 1966 | Mar 3 |
| 1967 | Feb 21 |
| 1968 | Jan 29 |
| 1969 | Mar 14 |
| 1970 | Jan 30 |
| 1971 | Mar 6 |
| 1972 | Apr 20 |
| 1973 | Jan 27 |
| 1974 | Mar 5 |
| 1975 | Feb 22 |
| 1976 | Mar 7 |
| 1977 | Mar 31 |
| 1979 | Feb 8 |
| 1980 | Feb 11 |
| 1981 | Feb 26 |
| 1982 | Mar 20 |
| 1983 | Jan 3 |
| 1984 | Jan 20 |
| 1985 | Mar 26 |
| 1986 | Feb 9 |
| 1987 | Mar 20 |
| 1988 | Feb 18 |
| 1989 | Mar 4 |
| 1990 | Mar 14 |
| 1991 | Mar 16 |
| 1992 | Jan 14 |
| 1993 | Jan 11 |
| 1994 | Feb 12 |
| 1996 | Feb 27 |
| 1997 | Feb 25 |
| 1998 | Jan 6 |
| 1999 | Apr 5 |
| 2000 | Jan 9 |
| 2001 | Jan 30 |
| 2002 | Feb 6 |
| 2003 | Feb 21 |
| 2004 | Feb 12 |
| 2008 | Apr 22 |
| 2009 | Mar 10 |
| 2010 | Mar 15 |
| 2011 | Apr 9 |
| 2012 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | May 24 |
| 2014 | Apr 10 |
| 2015 | Apr 16 |
| 2016 | Feb 4 |
| 2017 | Feb 24 |
| 2018 | Mar 18 |
| 2019 | Feb 24 |
| 2020 | Mar 26 |
| 2021 | Mar 12 |
| 2022 | Mar 7 |
| 2023 | Mar 28 |
| 2024 | Jan 17 |
| 2025 | Mar 10 |
| 2026 | Feb 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1955 | 151 |
| 1956 | 251 |
| 1957 | 237 |
| 1958 | 251 |
| 1959 | 304 |
| 1960 | 283 |
| 1961 | 211 |
| 1962 | 289 |
| 1963 | 321 |
| 1964 | 233 |
| 1965 | 263 |
| 1966 | 296 |
| 1967 | 292 |
| 1968 | 316 |
| 1969 | 288 |
| 1970 | 331 |
| 1971 | 236 |
| 1972 | 225 |
| 1973 | 280 |
| 1974 | 270 |
| 1975 | 270 |
| 1976 | 291 |
| 1977 | 233 |
| 1978 | 314 |
| 1979 | 284 |
| 1980 | 291 |
| 1981 | 300 |
| 1982 | 268 |
| 1984 | 334 |
| 1985 | 237 |
| 1986 | 324 |
| 1987 | 253 |
| 1988 | 298 |
| 1989 | 269 |
| 1990 | 251 |
| 1991 | 257 |
| 1992 | 338 |
| 1993 | 338 |
| 1994 | 279 |
| 1995 | 353 |
| 1996 | 278 |
| 1997 | 287 |
| 1998 | 331 |
| 1999 | 249 |
| 2000 | 305 |
| 2001 | 308 |
| 2002 | 319 |
| 2003 | 274 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2009 | 270 |
| 2010 | 241 |
| 2011 | 237 |
| 2012 | 216 |
| 2013 | 148 |
| 2014 | 207 |
| 2015 | 222 |
| 2016 | 293 |
| 2017 | 230 |
| 2018 | 284 |
| 2019 | 294 |
| 2020 | 227 |
| 2021 | 274 |
| 2022 | 247 |
| 2023 | 277 |
| 2024 | 319 |
| 2025 | 295 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1953 | 16.8 °C |
| 1954 | 17.3 °C |
| 1955 | 16.0 °C |
| 1956 | 18.2 °C |
| 1957 | 19.0 °C |
| 1958 | 19.5 °C |
| 1959 | 19.4 °C |
| 1960 | 19.5 °C |
| 1961 | 19.6 °C |
| 1962 | 18.6 °C |
| 1963 | 17.9 °C |
| 1964 | 18.2 °C |
| 1965 | 18.0 °C |
| 1966 | 19.5 °C |
| 1967 | 19.0 °C |
| 1968 | 19.2 °C |
| 1969 | 18.9 °C |
| 1970 | 19.0 °C |
| 1971 | 18.8 °C |
| 1972 | 19.3 °C |
| 1973 | 18.9 °C |
| 1974 | 18.8 °C |
| 1975 | 17.8 °C |
| 1976 | 18.6 °C |
| 1977 | 18.6 °C |
| 1978 | 18.8 °C |
| 1979 | 19.4 °C |
| 1980 | 18.6 °C |
| 1981 | 20.0 °C |
| 1982 | 18.9 °C |
| 1984 | 21.1 °C |
| 1985 | 20.1 °C |
| 1986 | 19.1 °C |
| 1987 | 20.0 °C |
| 1988 | 19.2 °C |
| 1989 | 20.0 °C |
| 1990 | 20.4 °C |
| 1991 | 17.6 °C |
| 1992 | 20.7 °C |
| 1993 | 20.0 °C |
| 1994 | 19.6 °C |
| 1995 | 19.6 °C |
| 1996 | 20.8 °C |
| 1997 | 21.0 °C |
| 1998 | 18.9 °C |
| 1999 | 18.4 °C |
| 2000 | 20.3 °C |
| 2001 | 20.3 °C |
| 2002 | 20.1 °C |
| 2003 | 20.2 °C |
| 2008 | 20.2 °C |
| 2009 | 20.4 °C |
| 2010 | 18.6 °C |
| 2011 | 18.8 °C |
| 2012 | 19.5 °C |
| 2013 | 19.5 °C |
| 2014 | 19.9 °C |
| 2015 | 19.6 °C |
| 2016 | 21.5 °C |
| 2017 | 20.9 °C |
| 2018 | 20.5 °C |
| 2019 | 20.2 °C |
| 2020 | 20.7 °C |
| 2021 | 20.7 °C |
| 2022 | 21.0 °C |
| 2023 | 19.6 °C |
| 2024 | 20.1 °C |
| 2025 | 19.8 °C |
| 2026 | 20.3 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1954, Los Olivos's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has shrunk 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 Cachuma Lake (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.