When to plant in Redding, CA
Planting dates worked out from Redding's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 19
1 year in 10 by Nov 7
Frost-free days
256
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Redding Ap · 11.3 km away · station 153 m, town 172 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 12 – Feb 26 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 3 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 8 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 1 – Jan 8 | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 17 |
| Peas | — | Jan 22 – Feb 19 | Mar 18 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | May 22 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 13 |
| Beet | — | Feb 5 – Mar 19 | Mar 27 |
| Potato | — | Feb 12 – Mar 5 | Apr 23 |
| Kale | Dec 25 – Jan 8 | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 20 |
| Broccoli | Dec 25 – Jan 8 | Feb 5 – Feb 26 | Apr 6 |
| Cucumber | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 29 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 24 |
| Winter squash | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 28 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jun 1 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 5 – Feb 26 | May 6 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 5 – Dec 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 22 – Feb 19 | Mar 1 |
| Basil | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 5 |
Redding'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 |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Mar 22 |
| 1988 | Mar 13 |
| 1989 | Mar 3 |
| 1990 | Mar 13 |
| 1991 | Mar 27 |
| 1992 | Feb 5 |
| 1993 | Feb 28 |
| 1994 | Feb 22 |
| 1995 | Mar 24 |
| 1996 | Mar 6 |
| 1997 | Mar 5 |
| 1998 | Mar 10 |
| 1999 | Apr 9 |
| 2000 | Jan 29 |
| 2001 | Apr 9 |
| 2002 | Mar 18 |
| 2003 | Mar 4 |
| 2004 | Feb 12 |
| 2005 | Jan 14 |
| 2006 | Mar 10 |
| 2007 | Mar 1 |
| 2008 | Apr 24 |
| 2009 | Apr 15 |
| 2010 | Apr 6 |
| 2011 | Mar 1 |
| 2012 | Apr 6 |
| 2013 | Feb 27 |
| 2014 | Feb 5 |
| 2015 | Jan 14 |
| 2017 | Mar 2 |
| 2018 | Mar 5 |
| 2019 | Feb 23 |
| 2020 | Mar 19 |
| 2021 | Feb 27 |
| 2022 | Apr 12 |
| 2023 | Apr 4 |
| 2024 | Feb 8 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 249 |
| 1988 | 262 |
| 1989 | 269 |
| 1990 | 251 |
| 1991 | 233 |
| 1992 | 278 |
| 1993 | 259 |
| 1994 | 264 |
| 1995 | 271 |
| 1996 | 254 |
| 1997 | 271 |
| 1998 | 243 |
| 1999 | 226 |
| 2000 | 285 |
| 2001 | 238 |
| 2002 | 228 |
| 2003 | 241 |
| 2004 | 283 |
| 2005 | 315 |
| 2006 | 258 |
| 2007 | 267 |
| 2008 | 223 |
| 2009 | 211 |
| 2010 | 230 |
| 2011 | 251 |
| 2012 | 217 |
| 2013 | 269 |
| 2014 | 284 |
| 2015 | 317 |
| 2016 | 337 |
| 2017 | 280 |
| 2018 | 249 |
| 2019 | 249 |
| 2020 | 235 |
| 2021 | 285 |
| 2022 | 221 |
| 2023 | 235 |
| 2024 | 292 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 23.7 °C |
| 1988 | 23.3 °C |
| 1989 | 22.5 °C |
| 1990 | 23.3 °C |
| 1991 | 22.5 °C |
| 1992 | 23.8 °C |
| 1993 | 22.0 °C |
| 1994 | 22.9 °C |
| 1995 | 21.8 °C |
| 1996 | 22.9 °C |
| 1997 | 22.8 °C |
| 1998 | 21.3 °C |
| 1999 | 22.5 °C |
| 2000 | 22.4 °C |
| 2001 | 23.2 °C |
| 2002 | 23.5 °C |
| 2003 | 22.9 °C |
| 2004 | 23.6 °C |
| 2005 | 22.4 °C |
| 2006 | 23.6 °C |
| 2007 | 22.9 °C |
| 2008 | 23.5 °C |
| 2009 | 23.5 °C |
| 2010 | 21.7 °C |
| 2011 | 21.9 °C |
| 2012 | 22.9 °C |
| 2013 | 23.8 °C |
| 2014 | 23.9 °C |
| 2015 | 24.9 °C |
| 2016 | 24.3 °C |
| 2017 | 24.6 °C |
| 2018 | 23.9 °C |
| 2019 | 23.9 °C |
| 2020 | 24.4 °C |
| 2021 | 25.1 °C |
| 2022 | 24.4 °C |
| 2023 | 24.0 °C |
| 2024 | 25.3 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1987, Redding's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Redding Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.