When to plant in Scotts Valley, CA
Planting dates worked out from Scotts Valley's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 23
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 29
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 7
1 year in 10 by Oct 19
Frost-free days
231
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Ben Lomond #4 · 7.2 km away · station 133 m, town 171 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 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jun 17 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jun 22 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 25 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 10 |
| Peas | — | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Apr 11 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 16 – May 7 | Jun 5 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 8 – Apr 19 | May 7 |
| Beet | — | Mar 1 – Apr 12 | Apr 20 |
| Potato | — | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | May 17 |
| Kale | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 13 |
| Broccoli | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 22 | Apr 30 |
| Cucumber | Mar 26 – Apr 2 | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jun 12 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 26 – Apr 2 | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jun 7 |
| Winter squash | Mar 26 – Apr 2 | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jul 12 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 16 – May 7 | Jun 15 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 1 – Mar 22 | May 30 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 24 – Nov 21 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Mar 25 |
| Basil | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jun 19 |
Scotts 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 |
|---|---|
| 1973 | Mar 24 |
| 1974 | Mar 10 |
| 1975 | Apr 17 |
| 1976 | Apr 2 |
| 1977 | Apr 22 |
| 1978 | Jan 25 |
| 1979 | Feb 17 |
| 1980 | Jan 30 |
| 1981 | Feb 23 |
| 1982 | Apr 7 |
| 1983 | Apr 13 |
| 1984 | Apr 27 |
| 1985 | Mar 26 |
| 1986 | Mar 14 |
| 1987 | Mar 24 |
| 1988 | Mar 17 |
| 1989 | Mar 4 |
| 1990 | Mar 13 |
| 1991 | Apr 8 |
| 1992 | Feb 5 |
| 1993 | Feb 28 |
| 1994 | Mar 23 |
| 1995 | Mar 28 |
| 1996 | Mar 30 |
| 1997 | Apr 1 |
| 1998 | Apr 16 |
| 1999 | Apr 10 |
| 2000 | Apr 18 |
| 2003 | Apr 5 |
| 2004 | Feb 13 |
| 2005 | Mar 16 |
| 2006 | Mar 19 |
| 2007 | Mar 29 |
| 2008 | Apr 21 |
| 2009 | Apr 29 |
| 2010 | Mar 14 |
| 2011 | Apr 10 |
| 2012 | Mar 12 |
| 2013 | Mar 23 |
| 2014 | May 13 |
| 2015 | Jun 29 |
| 2016 | Mar 31 |
| 2017 | Mar 3 |
| 2018 | Mar 19 |
| 2019 | Mar 15 |
| 2020 | Feb 20 |
| 2021 | Mar 21 |
| 2022 | May 10 |
| 2023 | Apr 13 |
| 2025 | Mar 9 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1973 | 223 |
| 1974 | 257 |
| 1975 | 189 |
| 1976 | 239 |
| 1977 | 200 |
| 1978 | 280 |
| 1979 | 275 |
| 1980 | 285 |
| 1981 | 278 |
| 1982 | 220 |
| 1983 | 208 |
| 1984 | 187 |
| 1985 | 230 |
| 1986 | 256 |
| 1987 | 246 |
| 1988 | 245 |
| 1989 | 241 |
| 1990 | 254 |
| 1991 | 205 |
| 1992 | 278 |
| 1993 | 259 |
| 1994 | 224 |
| 1995 | 263 |
| 1996 | 204 |
| 1997 | 244 |
| 1998 | 196 |
| 1999 | 225 |
| 2000 | 206 |
| 2004 | 279 |
| 2005 | 248 |
| 2006 | 235 |
| 2007 | 236 |
| 2008 | 174 |
| 2009 | 193 |
| 2010 | 254 |
| 2011 | 212 |
| 2012 | 243 |
| 2013 | 225 |
| 2014 | 104 |
| 2015 | 65 |
| 2016 | 231 |
| 2017 | 276 |
| 2018 | 234 |
| 2019 | 227 |
| 2020 | 261 |
| 2021 | 247 |
| 2022 | 184 |
| 2023 | 198 |
| 2025 | 296 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1973 | 18.2 °C |
| 1974 | 17.9 °C |
| 1975 | 17.1 °C |
| 1976 | 18.0 °C |
| 1977 | 17.7 °C |
| 1978 | 18.0 °C |
| 1979 | 18.4 °C |
| 1980 | 17.2 °C |
| 1981 | 18.4 °C |
| 1982 | 17.2 °C |
| 1983 | 17.9 °C |
| 1984 | 18.8 °C |
| 1985 | 18.1 °C |
| 1986 | 17.2 °C |
| 1987 | 18.0 °C |
| 1988 | 17.9 °C |
| 1989 | 17.8 °C |
| 1990 | 18.4 °C |
| 1991 | 16.9 °C |
| 1992 | 18.7 °C |
| 1993 | 17.9 °C |
| 1994 | 17.2 °C |
| 1995 | 17.5 °C |
| 1996 | 18.9 °C |
| 1997 | 19.4 °C |
| 1998 | 17.3 °C |
| 1999 | 17.1 °C |
| 2000 | 18.3 °C |
| 2003 | 18.2 °C |
| 2004 | 18.2 °C |
| 2005 | 17.3 °C |
| 2006 | 18.0 °C |
| 2007 | 17.8 °C |
| 2008 | 18.0 °C |
| 2009 | 18.0 °C |
| 2010 | 16.8 °C |
| 2011 | 16.7 °C |
| 2012 | 19.5 °C |
| 2013 | 19.7 °C |
| 2014 | 19.0 °C |
| 2015 | 18.0 °C |
| 2016 | 19.8 °C |
| 2017 | 20.1 °C |
| 2018 | 19.1 °C |
| 2019 | 19.7 °C |
| 2020 | 20.3 °C |
| 2021 | 19.4 °C |
| 2022 | 20.3 °C |
| 2023 | 19.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1973, Scotts Valley's last spring frost has come about 4 days later per decade, on average. The frost-free season has shrunk by about 5 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Ben Lomond #4 (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.