When to plant in Red Bluff, CA

Planting dates worked out from Red Bluff'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 10
Frost-free days
284
median, 1991–2020

Station used: Red Bluff Muni Ap · 3.4 km away · station 108 m, town 93 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

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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 14 – Dec 12 (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 Red Bluff

Red Bluff's weather over time

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

Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1May 1 194019501960197019801990200020102020
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
YearLast spring frost
1935Apr 9
1936Apr 1
1937Feb 15
1938Mar 21
1939Mar 4
1940Mar 11
1941Jan 4
1942Mar 27
1943Mar 30
1944Apr 20
1945Mar 24
1946Feb 16
1947Jan 31
1948Apr 6
1949Feb 16
1950Mar 12
1951Mar 11
1952Mar 20
1953Mar 13
1954Jan 25
1955Apr 27
1956Mar 6
1957Feb 5
1958Mar 9
1959Feb 12
1960Jan 17
1961Jan 21
1962Feb 28
1963Mar 17
1964Mar 2
1965Jan 8
1966Mar 17
1967Apr 28
1968Jan 28
1969Mar 8
1970Jan 29
1971Mar 6
1972Apr 13
1973Jan 28
1974Feb 22
1975Feb 23
1976Mar 6
1977Feb 3
1979Feb 3
1980Jan 30
1981Feb 4
1982Apr 7
1983Jan 13
1984Feb 10
1985Feb 10
1986Feb 10
1989Mar 3
1990Mar 13
1991Mar 11
1992Jan 21
1993Feb 28
1994Feb 15
1995Mar 24
1996Mar 30
1997Mar 5
1998Jan 6
1999Apr 9
2000Jan 12
2001Apr 8
2002Mar 8
2003Feb 11
2004Feb 11
2005Jan 14
2006Mar 13
2007Feb 27
2008Feb 5
2009Mar 10
2010Mar 13
2011Mar 1
2012Apr 6
2013Feb 18
2014Feb 5
2015Jan 3
2017Feb 28
2018Mar 5
2019Feb 23
2020Jan 15
2021Jan 26
2022Feb 26
2023Mar 27
2024Mar 4

What this means for you: Since 1935, Red Bluff's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

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

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