When to plant in Mammoth Lakes, CA
Planting dates worked out from Mammoth Lakes's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 30
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Jun 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 14
1 year in 10 by Sep 4
Frost-free days
84
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Mammoth Lakes Rs · 0.9 km away · station 2379 m, town 2402 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 | May 5 – May 19 | Jun 30 – Jul 14 | Aug 24 |
| Sweet pepper | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 30 – Jul 14 | Aug 29 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jun 28 |
| Peas | — | May 5 – Jun 2 | Jun 29 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 23 – Jul 14 | Aug 12 |
| Carrot | — | May 26 – Jul 7 | Jul 25 |
| Beet | — | May 19 – Jun 30 | Jul 8 |
| Potato | — | May 26 – Jun 16 | Aug 4 |
| Kale | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 1 |
| Broccoli | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 19 – Jun 9 | Jul 18 |
| Cucumber | Jun 2 – Jun 9 | Jun 30 – Jul 14 | Aug 19 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Jun 2 – Jun 9 | Jun 30 – Jul 14 | Aug 14 |
| Winter squash Season likely too short |
Jun 2 – Jun 9 | Jun 30 – Jul 14 | Sep 18 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 23 – Jul 14 | Aug 22 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 19 – Jun 9 | Aug 17 |
| Garlic | — | Aug 31 – Sep 28 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | May 5 – Jun 2 | Jun 12 |
| Basil | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jun 30 – Jul 14 | Aug 26 |
Mammoth Lakes'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 |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Jul 13 |
| 1996 | Jun 28 |
| 1997 | Jul 1 |
| 1998 | Jun 17 |
| 1999 | Jun 11 |
| 2000 | Jun 10 |
| 2002 | Jun 22 |
| 2003 | Jun 25 |
| 2004 | Jun 9 |
| 2005 | Jun 20 |
| 2006 | Jun 16 |
| 2011 | Jun 30 |
| 2012 | Jun 10 |
| 2013 | May 20 |
| 2014 | Jun 3 |
| 2015 | Jun 5 |
| 2016 | May 26 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 75 |
| 1996 | 69 |
| 1999 | 80 |
| 2000 | 86 |
| 2002 | 77 |
| 2003 | 76 |
| 2004 | 86 |
| 2005 | 82 |
| 2011 | 96 |
| 2014 | 117 |
| 2015 | 92 |
| 2016 | 101 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 10.2 °C |
| 1996 | 12.1 °C |
| 1999 | 10.4 °C |
| 2001 | 12.6 °C |
| 2002 | 12.0 °C |
| 2003 | 11.8 °C |
| 2004 | 11.8 °C |
| 2005 | 10.6 °C |
| 2006 | 11.5 °C |
| 2007 | 13.0 °C |
| 2009 | 12.2 °C |
| 2011 | 11.0 °C |
| 2012 | 13.1 °C |
| 2013 | 12.8 °C |
| 2014 | 13.2 °C |
| 2015 | 12.6 °C |
| 2016 | 13.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Mammoth Lakes Rs (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.