When to plant in Mendota, CA
Planting dates worked out from Mendota's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 4
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 22
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 27
1 year in 10 by Nov 11
Frost-free days
278
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Madera Muni Ap · 35.3 km away · station 76 m, town 53 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 7 – Feb 21 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 29 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | Jun 3 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 21 – Dec 28 | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 6 |
| Peas | — | Jan 11 – Feb 8 | Mar 7 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | May 17 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 2 |
| Beet | — | Jan 25 – Mar 8 | Mar 16 |
| Potato | — | Feb 1 – Feb 22 | Apr 12 |
| Kale | Dec 14 – Dec 28 | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 9 |
| Broccoli | Dec 14 – Dec 28 | Jan 25 – Feb 15 | Mar 26 |
| Cucumber | Mar 7 – Mar 14 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 24 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 7 – Mar 14 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 19 |
| Winter squash | Mar 7 – Mar 14 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | Jun 23 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | May 27 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 25 – Feb 15 | Apr 25 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 13 – Dec 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 11 – Feb 8 | Feb 18 |
| Basil | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 31 |
Mendota'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 |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Apr 10 |
| 2000 | Jan 9 |
| 2001 | Feb 8 |
| 2002 | Apr 19 |
| 2003 | Feb 18 |
| 2004 | Feb 12 |
| 2005 | Feb 1 |
| 2006 | Mar 4 |
| 2007 | Mar 1 |
| 2008 | Mar 17 |
| 2009 | Mar 11 |
| 2011 | Mar 1 |
| 2012 | Apr 6 |
| 2013 | Feb 24 |
| 2014 | Feb 5 |
| 2015 | Jan 5 |
| 2016 | Feb 3 |
| 2017 | Feb 25 |
| 2018 | Mar 5 |
| 2019 | Feb 22 |
| 2020 | Mar 2 |
| 2021 | Mar 24 |
| 2022 | Mar 7 |
| 2023 | Mar 2 |
| 2024 | Feb 9 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 225 |
| 2000 | 306 |
| 2001 | 291 |
| 2002 | 195 |
| 2003 | 276 |
| 2004 | 284 |
| 2005 | 298 |
| 2006 | 264 |
| 2007 | 266 |
| 2008 | 267 |
| 2009 | 255 |
| 2010 | 326 |
| 2011 | 275 |
| 2012 | 218 |
| 2013 | 281 |
| 2014 | 323 |
| 2015 | 324 |
| 2016 | 306 |
| 2017 | 281 |
| 2018 | 297 |
| 2019 | 276 |
| 2020 | 251 |
| 2021 | 260 |
| 2022 | 256 |
| 2023 | 266 |
| 2024 | 279 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 21.2 °C |
| 2000 | 22.4 °C |
| 2001 | 22.3 °C |
| 2002 | 22.2 °C |
| 2003 | 22.1 °C |
| 2004 | 22.3 °C |
| 2005 | 21.7 °C |
| 2006 | 22.8 °C |
| 2007 | 22.4 °C |
| 2008 | 22.4 °C |
| 2009 | 22.9 °C |
| 2010 | 21.1 °C |
| 2011 | 21.3 °C |
| 2012 | 22.5 °C |
| 2013 | 23.0 °C |
| 2014 | 23.6 °C |
| 2015 | 23.4 °C |
| 2016 | 23.3 °C |
| 2017 | 23.8 °C |
| 2018 | 23.3 °C |
| 2019 | 23.3 °C |
| 2020 | 23.1 °C |
| 2021 | 23.6 °C |
| 2022 | 23.7 °C |
| 2023 | 22.5 °C |
| 2024 | 23.9 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Madera Muni Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.