When to plant in Soledad, CA
Planting dates worked out from Soledad's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 1
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 26
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 19
1 year in 10 by Nov 2
Frost-free days
275
median, 1991–2020
Station used: King City · 29.5 km away · station 98 m, town 58 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 4 – Feb 18 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 26 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 31 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 25 – Jan 1 | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 10 |
| Peas | — | Jan 15 – Feb 12 | Mar 11 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | May 14 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 6 |
| Beet | — | Jan 29 – Mar 12 | Mar 20 |
| Potato | — | Feb 5 – Feb 26 | Apr 16 |
| Kale | Dec 18 – Jan 1 | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 13 |
| Broccoli | Dec 18 – Jan 1 | Jan 29 – Feb 19 | Mar 30 |
| Cucumber | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 21 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 16 |
| Winter squash | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | Jun 20 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | May 24 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 29 – Feb 19 | Apr 29 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 5 – Dec 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 15 – Feb 12 | Feb 22 |
| Basil | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 28 |
Soledad'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 |
|---|---|
| 1927 | Apr 28 |
| 1928 | Apr 4 |
| 1929 | May 7 |
| 1930 | May 9 |
| 1931 | Mar 7 |
| 1932 | Apr 22 |
| 1934 | Apr 3 |
| 1935 | Mar 25 |
| 1936 | Apr 6 |
| 1937 | Apr 26 |
| 1938 | Apr 1 |
| 1939 | Mar 12 |
| 1940 | Mar 13 |
| 1941 | Jan 4 |
| 1942 | Apr 29 |
| 1951 | Apr 1 |
| 1952 | Mar 23 |
| 1953 | Apr 12 |
| 1954 | Mar 22 |
| 1955 | Apr 28 |
| 1956 | Apr 4 |
| 1957 | Apr 23 |
| 1958 | Mar 9 |
| 1959 | Mar 15 |
| 1960 | Apr 13 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | Mar 25 |
| 1963 | Apr 2 |
| 1964 | May 4 |
| 1965 | Mar 25 |
| 1966 | Mar 17 |
| 1967 | Apr 28 |
| 1968 | Apr 22 |
| 1969 | Mar 16 |
| 1970 | Apr 29 |
| 1971 | Apr 25 |
| 1972 | Apr 20 |
| 1974 | Apr 5 |
| 1976 | Apr 2 |
| 1977 | Mar 31 |
| 1980 | Mar 26 |
| 1981 | Apr 11 |
| 1982 | Apr 7 |
| 1983 | Apr 14 |
| 1984 | Apr 29 |
| 1985 | Mar 31 |
| 1986 | Feb 10 |
| 1987 | Mar 21 |
| 1988 | Mar 13 |
| 1989 | Feb 14 |
| 1990 | Feb 20 |
| 1992 | Feb 4 |
| 1993 | Feb 2 |
| 1996 | Feb 27 |
| 1997 | Mar 13 |
| 1998 | Mar 28 |
| 1999 | Apr 10 |
| 2000 | Jan 8 |
| 2001 | Feb 8 |
| 2002 | Mar 19 |
| 2003 | Feb 10 |
| 2004 | Feb 12 |
| 2005 | Jan 30 |
| 2006 | Mar 19 |
| 2007 | Mar 1 |
| 2008 | Mar 31 |
| 2009 | Mar 23 |
| 2011 | Apr 9 |
| 2012 | Mar 9 |
| 2013 | Feb 27 |
| 2014 | Feb 5 |
| 2015 | Feb 25 |
| 2017 | Mar 1 |
| 2018 | Mar 3 |
| 2019 | Mar 14 |
| 2020 | Apr 3 |
| 2021 | Mar 16 |
| 2022 | Mar 11 |
| 2023 | Mar 8 |
| 2024 | Feb 11 |
| 2025 | Feb 11 |
| 2026 | Jan 11 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1927 | 160 |
| 1928 | 190 |
| 1929 | 171 |
| 1930 | 188 |
| 1931 | 249 |
| 1932 | 178 |
| 1934 | 238 |
| 1935 | 210 |
| 1936 | 208 |
| 1937 | 194 |
| 1938 | 198 |
| 1939 | 238 |
| 1940 | 235 |
| 1942 | 189 |
| 1951 | 228 |
| 1952 | 233 |
| 1953 | 191 |
| 1954 | 216 |
| 1955 | 182 |
| 1956 | 202 |
| 1957 | 194 |
| 1959 | 235 |
| 1960 | 182 |
| 1961 | 171 |
| 1962 | 237 |
| 1963 | 229 |
| 1964 | 88 |
| 1965 | 245 |
| 1967 | 211 |
| 1969 | 246 |
| 1970 | 180 |
| 1971 | 182 |
| 1978 | 301 |
| 1980 | 220 |
| 1981 | 183 |
| 1982 | 209 |
| 1983 | 207 |
| 1984 | 180 |
| 1985 | 225 |
| 1986 | 271 |
| 1987 | 247 |
| 1988 | 251 |
| 1990 | 255 |
| 1992 | 278 |
| 1993 | 285 |
| 1996 | 235 |
| 1997 | 270 |
| 2000 | 305 |
| 2001 | 291 |
| 2002 | 278 |
| 2004 | 282 |
| 2005 | 300 |
| 2006 | 235 |
| 2007 | 265 |
| 2008 | 194 |
| 2009 | 236 |
| 2010 | 326 |
| 2011 | 212 |
| 2013 | 279 |
| 2014 | 323 |
| 2015 | 274 |
| 2016 | 331 |
| 2017 | 275 |
| 2018 | 253 |
| 2019 | 230 |
| 2020 | 218 |
| 2021 | 253 |
| 2022 | 237 |
| 2023 | 245 |
| 2024 | 277 |
| 2025 | 295 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1926 | 18.5 °C |
| 1927 | 17.5 °C |
| 1928 | 18.2 °C |
| 1929 | 18.0 °C |
| 1930 | 17.7 °C |
| 1931 | 19.6 °C |
| 1932 | 19.3 °C |
| 1934 | 18.7 °C |
| 1935 | 18.0 °C |
| 1936 | 18.4 °C |
| 1937 | 18.2 °C |
| 1938 | 18.1 °C |
| 1939 | 18.4 °C |
| 1940 | 18.4 °C |
| 1942 | 17.6 °C |
| 1950 | 18.7 °C |
| 1951 | 18.1 °C |
| 1952 | 18.0 °C |
| 1953 | 17.4 °C |
| 1955 | 16.6 °C |
| 1956 | 17.2 °C |
| 1957 | 18.1 °C |
| 1959 | 18.2 °C |
| 1960 | 18.0 °C |
| 1961 | 18.3 °C |
| 1962 | 17.8 °C |
| 1963 | 17.6 °C |
| 1965 | 17.5 °C |
| 1967 | 17.6 °C |
| 1969 | 18.4 °C |
| 1970 | 17.6 °C |
| 1971 | 17.7 °C |
| 1972 | 18.4 °C |
| 1973 | 18.9 °C |
| 1974 | 18.1 °C |
| 1975 | 17.1 °C |
| 1978 | 18.1 °C |
| 1981 | 18.4 °C |
| 1982 | 17.4 °C |
| 1983 | 18.1 °C |
| 1984 | 19.0 °C |
| 1985 | 18.9 °C |
| 1987 | 18.4 °C |
| 1988 | 18.2 °C |
| 1990 | 19.0 °C |
| 1991 | 18.3 °C |
| 1992 | 19.6 °C |
| 1993 | 19.0 °C |
| 1996 | 18.2 °C |
| 1997 | 19.3 °C |
| 2005 | 18.8 °C |
| 2013 | 19.3 °C |
| 2014 | 19.7 °C |
| 2015 | 19.6 °C |
| 2016 | 19.1 °C |
| 2017 | 19.9 °C |
| 2018 | 19.1 °C |
| 2019 | 19.5 °C |
| 2020 | 20.0 °C |
| 2021 | 18.9 °C |
| 2022 | 19.6 °C |
| 2023 | 18.4 °C |
| 2024 | 19.2 °C |
| 2025 | 19.2 °C |
| 2026 | 19.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1927, Soledad's last spring frost has come about 5 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 9 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from King City (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.