When to plant in Palermo, CA
Planting dates worked out from Palermo's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 11
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 18
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 4
1 year in 10 by Nov 7
Frost-free days
289
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Oroville · 9.2 km away · station 52 m, town 59 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 14 – Feb 28 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 5 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 10 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 17 – Dec 24 | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Mar 2 |
| Peas | — | Jan 7 – Feb 4 | Mar 3 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | May 24 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 28 – Mar 11 | Mar 29 |
| Beet | — | Jan 21 – Mar 4 | Mar 12 |
| Potato | — | Jan 28 – Feb 18 | Apr 8 |
| Kale | Dec 10 – Dec 24 | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Mar 5 |
| Broccoli | Dec 10 – Dec 24 | Jan 21 – Feb 11 | Mar 22 |
| Cucumber | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 31 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 26 |
| Winter squash | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 30 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 3 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 21 – Feb 11 | Apr 21 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 17 – Dec 15 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 7 – Feb 4 | Feb 14 |
| Basil | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 7 |
Palermo'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 14 |
| 1955 | Apr 27 |
| 1956 | Mar 7 |
| 1957 | Mar 22 |
| 1958 | Mar 11 |
| 1959 | Jan 31 |
| 1960 | Mar 1 |
| 1961 | Mar 5 |
| 1962 | Feb 27 |
| 1963 | Jan 25 |
| 1964 | Mar 8 |
| 1965 | Feb 10 |
| 1966 | Mar 3 |
| 1967 | Jan 23 |
| 1968 | Jan 17 |
| 1969 | Mar 13 |
| 1970 | Jan 6 |
| 1971 | Mar 5 |
| 1972 | Mar 26 |
| 1973 | Jan 28 |
| 1974 | Feb 23 |
| 1975 | Feb 21 |
| 1983 | Jan 15 |
| 1985 | Mar 28 |
| 1987 | Jan 18 |
| 1991 | Apr 11 |
| 1992 | Jan 31 |
| 1993 | Jan 14 |
| 1994 | Feb 15 |
| 1995 | Mar 25 |
| 1997 | Mar 15 |
| 1998 | Jan 6 |
| 2002 | Mar 18 |
| 2004 | Jan 4 |
| 2006 | Feb 21 |
| 2010 | May 11 |
| 2011 | Apr 13 |
| 2012 | Mar 7 |
| 2013 | Feb 20 |
| 2015 | Jan 3 |
| 2016 | Jan 29 |
| 2017 | Jan 16 |
| 2018 | Mar 5 |
| 2019 | Feb 18 |
| 2020 | Feb 6 |
| 2021 | Jan 26 |
| 2022 | Feb 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 260 |
| 1955 | 201 |
| 1956 | 258 |
| 1957 | 244 |
| 1958 | 248 |
| 1959 | 289 |
| 1960 | 281 |
| 1961 | 256 |
| 1962 | 274 |
| 1963 | 299 |
| 1965 | 290 |
| 1966 | 264 |
| 1967 | 316 |
| 1968 | 320 |
| 1969 | 261 |
| 1970 | 346 |
| 1971 | 232 |
| 1972 | 279 |
| 1973 | 294 |
| 1974 | 301 |
| 1991 | 203 |
| 1992 | 320 |
| 1993 | 312 |
| 1994 | 270 |
| 1995 | 280 |
| 2010 | 181 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 287 |
| 2013 | 286 |
| 2014 | 362 |
| 2015 | 326 |
| 2016 | 291 |
| 2017 | 348 |
| 2018 | 300 |
| 2019 | 283 |
| 2020 | 327 |
| 2021 | 325 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 21.9 °C |
| 1955 | 21.4 °C |
| 1956 | 21.7 °C |
| 1958 | 22.6 °C |
| 1959 | 22.4 °C |
| 1960 | 22.7 °C |
| 1961 | 23.1 °C |
| 1962 | 22.8 °C |
| 1963 | 21.7 °C |
| 1965 | 21.9 °C |
| 1966 | 23.6 °C |
| 1967 | 22.9 °C |
| 1968 | 22.7 °C |
| 1969 | 23.3 °C |
| 1970 | 22.9 °C |
| 1971 | 22.3 °C |
| 1972 | 22.7 °C |
| 1973 | 23.3 °C |
| 1974 | 22.8 °C |
| 1987 | 22.1 °C |
| 1991 | 20.4 °C |
| 1992 | 21.9 °C |
| 1993 | 21.3 °C |
| 1994 | 21.6 °C |
| 1995 | 18.9 °C |
| 1997 | 22.4 °C |
| 1998 | 21.4 °C |
| 2006 | 22.6 °C |
| 2010 | 19.9 °C |
| 2011 | 20.0 °C |
| 2012 | 21.7 °C |
| 2013 | 22.2 °C |
| 2014 | 23.0 °C |
| 2015 | 22.7 °C |
| 2016 | 21.8 °C |
| 2017 | 23.2 °C |
| 2018 | 22.9 °C |
| 2019 | 22.9 °C |
| 2020 | 23.4 °C |
| 2021 | 24.0 °C |
| 2022 | 23.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1954, Palermo's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 5 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Oroville (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.