When to plant in Santa Margarita, CA
Planting dates worked out from Santa Margarita's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 15
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 9
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 4
1 year in 10 by Nov 11
Frost-free days
258
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Arroyo Grande California · 30.6 km away · station 319 m, town 308 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 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 9 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 14 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 5 – Jan 12 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 21 |
| Peas | — | Jan 26 – Feb 23 | Mar 22 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | May 28 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 17 |
| Beet | — | Feb 9 – Mar 23 | Mar 31 |
| Potato | — | Feb 16 – Mar 9 | Apr 27 |
| Kale | Dec 29 – Jan 12 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 24 |
| Broccoli | Dec 29 – Jan 12 | Feb 9 – Mar 2 | Apr 10 |
| Cucumber | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 4 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 30 |
| Winter squash | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jul 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 9 – Mar 2 | May 10 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 20 – Dec 18 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 26 – Feb 23 | Mar 5 |
| Basil | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 11 |
Santa Margarita'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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Apr 12 |
| 1998 | Apr 15 |
| 2001 | Apr 8 |
| 2002 | Mar 17 |
| 2003 | Apr 4 |
| 2004 | Feb 1 |
| 2005 | Jan 4 |
| 2006 | Mar 21 |
| 2007 | Feb 24 |
| 2008 | Apr 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 25 |
| 2011 | Apr 9 |
| 2012 | Feb 28 |
| 2013 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Jan 3 |
| 2016 | Mar 30 |
| 2017 | Mar 6 |
| 2018 | Mar 17 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 195 |
| 2001 | 245 |
| 2003 | 234 |
| 2004 | 293 |
| 2005 | 345 |
| 2006 | 253 |
| 2007 | 279 |
| 2008 | 256 |
| 2009 | 224 |
| 2010 | 326 |
| 2011 | 237 |
| 2012 | 254 |
| 2013 | 231 |
| 2014 | 358 |
| 2015 | 345 |
| 2016 | 261 |
| 2017 | 290 |
| 2018 | 288 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 19.0 °C |
| 2001 | 18.6 °C |
| 2002 | 23.6 °C |
| 2003 | 19.4 °C |
| 2004 | 19.2 °C |
| 2005 | 18.4 °C |
| 2006 | 19.2 °C |
| 2007 | 19.5 °C |
| 2008 | 19.6 °C |
| 2009 | 19.2 °C |
| 2010 | 17.6 °C |
| 2011 | 17.6 °C |
| 2012 | 19.1 °C |
| 2013 | 19.9 °C |
| 2014 | 19.6 °C |
| 2015 | 19.6 °C |
| 2016 | 19.2 °C |
| 2017 | 20.2 °C |
| 2018 | 19.7 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Arroyo Grande California (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.