When to plant in Penn Valley, CA
Planting dates worked out from Penn Valley's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 21
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 26
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 29
1 year in 10 by Nov 10
Frost-free days
240
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Reader Ranch California · 13.6 km away · station 600 m, town 427 m. How we match towns to stations
The station sits 173 m higher than the town, so frost dates here may be off by a week or more. Check them against local experience.
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 15 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 20 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 22 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 7 |
| Peas | — | Feb 12 – Mar 12 | Apr 8 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 14 – May 5 | Jun 3 |
| Carrot | — | Dec 31 – Feb 11 | Feb 29 |
| Beet | — | Dec 31 – Feb 11 | Feb 19 |
| Potato | — | Dec 31 – Jan 21 | Mar 10 |
| Kale | Jan 15 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 10 |
| Broccoli | Jan 15 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 19 | Apr 27 |
| Cucumber | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 10 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 5 |
| Winter squash | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jul 10 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 14 – May 5 | Jun 13 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 26 – Mar 19 | May 27 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 15 – Dec 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 12 – Mar 12 | Mar 22 |
| Basil | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 17 |
Penn Valley'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 |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Apr 5 |
| 2004 | Feb 28 |
| 2005 | Apr 14 |
| 2006 | Mar 22 |
| 2007 | Apr 18 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | Apr 15 |
| 2010 | Apr 29 |
| 2011 | Apr 9 |
| 2012 | Apr 6 |
| 2013 | Feb 24 |
| 2014 | Feb 5 |
| 2015 | Jan 3 |
| 2016 | Mar 29 |
| 2017 | Apr 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 17 |
| 2019 | Mar 14 |
| 2020 | Mar 27 |
| 2021 | Mar 16 |
| 2022 | May 11 |
| 2023 | Apr 5 |
| 2024 | Apr 4 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 212 |
| 2004 | 272 |
| 2005 | 225 |
| 2006 | 246 |
| 2007 | 226 |
| 2008 | 226 |
| 2009 | 234 |
| 2010 | 204 |
| 2011 | 247 |
| 2012 | 218 |
| 2013 | 281 |
| 2014 | 322 |
| 2015 | 316 |
| 2016 | 252 |
| 2017 | 255 |
| 2018 | 229 |
| 2019 | 256 |
| 2020 | 226 |
| 2021 | 268 |
| 2022 | 182 |
| 2023 | 269 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 20.9 °C |
| 2004 | 21.6 °C |
| 2005 | 20.3 °C |
| 2006 | 21.7 °C |
| 2007 | 21.2 °C |
| 2008 | 22.0 °C |
| 2009 | 21.7 °C |
| 2010 | 19.7 °C |
| 2011 | 19.6 °C |
| 2012 | 21.4 °C |
| 2013 | 21.5 °C |
| 2014 | 22.0 °C |
| 2015 | 21.7 °C |
| 2016 | 21.7 °C |
| 2017 | 22.1 °C |
| 2018 | 22.0 °C |
| 2019 | 21.3 °C |
| 2020 | 22.7 °C |
| 2021 | 23.6 °C |
| 2022 | 22.2 °C |
| 2023 | 21.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Reader Ranch California (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.