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When to plant in McFarland, CA

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

Safe to plant out
Mar 31
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 21
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 29
1 year in 10 by Nov 9
Frost-free days
273
median, 1991–2020

Station used: Wasco · 14.8 km away · station 89 m, town 108 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 Feb 3 – Feb 17 Mar 31 – Apr 14 May 25
Sweet pepper Jan 20 – Feb 3 Mar 31 – Apr 14 May 30
Lettuce (leaf) Dec 20 – Dec 27 Jan 24 – Feb 7 Mar 5
Peas — Jan 10 – Feb 7 Mar 6
Bush beans — Mar 24 – Apr 14 May 13
Carrot — Jan 31 – Mar 14 Apr 1
Beet — Jan 24 – Mar 7 Mar 15
Potato — Jan 31 – Feb 21 Apr 11
Kale Dec 13 – Dec 27 Jan 24 – Feb 7 Mar 8
Broccoli Dec 13 – Dec 27 Jan 24 – Feb 14 Mar 25
Cucumber Mar 3 – Mar 10 Mar 31 – Apr 14 May 20
Summer squash and zucchini Mar 3 – Mar 10 Mar 31 – Apr 14 May 15
Winter squash Mar 3 – Mar 10 Mar 31 – Apr 14 Jun 19
Sweet corn — Mar 24 – Apr 14 May 23
Onion (from sets) — Jan 24 – Feb 14 Apr 24
Garlic — Nov 15 – Dec 13 (fall) following summer
Spinach — Jan 10 – Feb 7 Feb 17
Basil Feb 17 – Mar 3 Mar 31 – Apr 14 May 27

Plan all 65 crops for McFarland

McFarland's weather over time

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

Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1May 1 191019201930194019501960197019801990200020102020
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
YearLast spring frost
1902Jan 30
1903Apr 10
1904Mar 24
1905Mar 30
1906Apr 3
1909Apr 8
1910Apr 13
1911Apr 29
1912Mar 15
1913Apr 13
1914Feb 9
1915Feb 21
1916Mar 5
1917Apr 14
1918Apr 8
1919Mar 9
1920Apr 19
1921Feb 16
1922Mar 23
1923Apr 9
1924Apr 6
1925Jan 19
1926Feb 23
1928Feb 18
1929Mar 29
1931Feb 21
1932Mar 8
1933Apr 10
1934Feb 12
1935Mar 20
1936Mar 26
1937Mar 19
1938Mar 30
1939Mar 7
1940Mar 13
1942Feb 24
1943Jan 20
1944Mar 14
1945Apr 15
1946Mar 4
1947Feb 19
1948Mar 5
1949Feb 17
1950Mar 13
1951Mar 11
1952Mar 21
1953Mar 4
1954Mar 13
1955Mar 15
1956Mar 8
1957Feb 5
1958Jan 23
1959Feb 13
1960Jan 18
1961Jan 22
1962Mar 1
1963Jan 27
1964Mar 9
1965Feb 16
1966Mar 4
1967Feb 13
1968Jan 29
1969Feb 13
1970Jan 30
1972Mar 27
1973Jan 27
1974Feb 18
1975Feb 22
1976Jan 27
1977Mar 29
1978Jan 28
1979Feb 4
1980Jan 22
1981Mar 13
1982Feb 6
1983Jan 11
1984Feb 23
1985Mar 4
1986Feb 11
1987Feb 26
1988Feb 21
1989Mar 4
1990Mar 12
1991Feb 1
1992Feb 4
1993Jan 12
1994Feb 14
1995Jan 18
1996Feb 28
1997Feb 14
1998Mar 29
1999Apr 11
2000Jan 11
2001Apr 8
2002Mar 19
2003Feb 23
2004Feb 21
2006Mar 20
2007Mar 1
2012Mar 8
2018Feb 27
2026Feb 21

What this means for you: Since 1902, McFarland's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

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

Nearby towns

DelanoWascoRichgroveShafterEarlimartTeviston