When to plant in Ridgemark, CA
Planting dates worked out from Ridgemark's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 18
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 14
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 3
1 year in 10 by Nov 16
Frost-free days
286
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Hollister California · 3.3 km away · station 123 m, town 149 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 | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 12 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 7 – Jan 21 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 17 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 13 – Dec 20 | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Feb 26 |
| Peas | — | Jan 3 – Jan 31 | Feb 27 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 11 – Apr 1 | Apr 30 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 24 – Mar 7 | Mar 25 |
| Beet | — | Jan 17 – Feb 28 | Mar 8 |
| Potato | — | Jan 24 – Feb 14 | Apr 4 |
| Kale | Dec 6 – Dec 20 | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Mar 1 |
| Broccoli | Dec 6 – Dec 20 | Jan 17 – Feb 7 | Mar 18 |
| Cucumber | Feb 18 – Feb 25 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 7 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Feb 18 – Feb 25 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 2 |
| Winter squash | Feb 18 – Feb 25 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Jun 6 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 11 – Apr 1 | May 10 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 17 – Feb 7 | Apr 17 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 19 – Dec 17 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 3 – Jan 31 | Feb 10 |
| Basil | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 14 |
Ridgemark'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 | Feb 9 |
| 2004 | Feb 11 |
| 2005 | Jan 15 |
| 2006 | Mar 13 |
| 2007 | Mar 1 |
| 2008 | Mar 31 |
| 2009 | Apr 16 |
| 2011 | Mar 1 |
| 2012 | Mar 7 |
| 2013 | Feb 10 |
| 2015 | Jan 3 |
| 2017 | Feb 24 |
| 2018 | Mar 5 |
| 2019 | Feb 23 |
| 2020 | Feb 5 |
| 2022 | Mar 7 |
| 2023 | Feb 18 |
| 2024 | Jan 12 |
| 2025 | Feb 10 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 267 |
| 2004 | 283 |
| 2005 | 315 |
| 2006 | 255 |
| 2007 | 267 |
| 2008 | 252 |
| 2009 | 216 |
| 2010 | 326 |
| 2011 | 277 |
| 2012 | 287 |
| 2013 | 296 |
| 2014 | 359 |
| 2015 | 326 |
| 2016 | 349 |
| 2017 | 284 |
| 2018 | 298 |
| 2019 | 310 |
| 2020 | 276 |
| 2021 | 343 |
| 2022 | 267 |
| 2023 | 279 |
| 2024 | 352 |
| 2025 | 323 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 18.4 °C |
| 2004 | 18.4 °C |
| 2005 | 17.9 °C |
| 2007 | 18.0 °C |
| 2008 | 18.3 °C |
| 2009 | 18.1 °C |
| 2010 | 16.6 °C |
| 2011 | 16.8 °C |
| 2012 | 17.5 °C |
| 2013 | 18.6 °C |
| 2014 | 18.9 °C |
| 2015 | 18.6 °C |
| 2016 | 18.1 °C |
| 2017 | 19.1 °C |
| 2018 | 18.2 °C |
| 2019 | 18.6 °C |
| 2020 | 19.3 °C |
| 2021 | 18.4 °C |
| 2022 | 19.5 °C |
| 2023 | 17.8 °C |
| 2024 | 18.9 °C |
| 2025 | 18.4 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Hollister California (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.