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When to plant in South Taft, CA

Planting dates worked out from South Taft's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out
Mar 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 9
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 22
1 year in 10 by Nov 2
Frost-free days
286
median, 1991–2020

Station used: Buttonwillow · 29.8 km away · station 69 m, town 310 m. How we match towns to stations

The station sits 241 m lower than the town, so frost dates here may be off by a week or more. Check them against local experience.

This season

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Planting dates for common crops

CropStart indoorsPlant out or sowHarvest from
Tomato Jan 12 – Jan 26 Mar 9 – Mar 23 May 3
Sweet pepper Dec 29 – Jan 12 Mar 9 – Mar 23 May 8
Lettuce (leaf) Dec 8 – Dec 15 Jan 12 – Jan 26 Feb 21
Peas — Dec 29 – Jan 26 Feb 22
Bush beans — Mar 2 – Mar 23 Apr 21
Carrot — Jan 19 – Mar 2 Mar 20
Beet — Jan 12 – Feb 23 Mar 3
Potato — Jan 19 – Feb 9 Mar 30
Kale Dec 1 – Dec 15 Jan 12 – Jan 26 Feb 24
Broccoli Dec 1 – Dec 15 Jan 12 – Feb 2 Mar 13
Cucumber Feb 9 – Feb 16 Mar 9 – Mar 23 Apr 28
Summer squash and zucchini Feb 9 – Feb 16 Mar 9 – Mar 23 Apr 23
Winter squash Feb 9 – Feb 16 Mar 9 – Mar 23 May 28
Sweet corn — Mar 2 – Mar 23 May 1
Onion (from sets) — Jan 12 – Feb 2 Apr 12
Garlic — Nov 8 – Dec 6 (fall) following summer
Spinach — Dec 29 – Jan 26 Feb 5
Basil Jan 26 – Feb 9 Mar 9 – Mar 23 May 5

Plan all 65 crops for South Taft

South Taft's weather over time

How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.

Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1 194019501960197019801990200020102020
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
YearLast spring frost
1940Mar 14
1941Jan 18
1942Mar 27
1944Mar 18
1945Apr 10
1946Feb 18
1947Feb 3
1948Mar 26
1949Feb 19
1950Mar 13
1951Mar 11
1952Mar 3
1953Mar 5
1954Mar 13
1955Apr 19
1956Mar 13
1957Feb 6
1958Jan 24
1959Feb 22
1960Feb 25
1961Jan 22
1962Mar 1
1963Mar 19
1964Mar 9
1965Feb 24
1966Mar 4
1967Mar 30
1968Feb 2
1969Mar 14
1970Feb 7
1971Mar 7
1972Apr 13
1973Jan 28
1974Feb 25
1975Mar 29
1976Mar 4
1977Mar 14
1978Jan 27
1979Feb 10
1980Apr 1
1981Feb 5
1982Feb 6
1983Feb 4
1984Feb 23
1986Feb 11
1987Feb 27
1988Mar 13
1989Mar 4
1990Mar 13
1991Feb 1
1992Feb 4
1993Feb 1
1994Jan 31
1996Feb 28
1997Feb 14
1998Jan 7
1999Jan 14
2001Feb 9
2002Mar 15
2003Feb 9
2004Feb 11
2005Feb 2
2006Feb 23
2007Jan 26
2008Feb 16
2009Mar 10
2011Feb 28
2012Mar 8
2013Feb 25
2014Feb 2
2015Mar 16
2016Feb 3
2017Mar 6
2018Feb 28
2021Jan 26
2026Feb 20

What this means for you: Since 1940, South Taft's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Buttonwillow (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

TaftTaft HeightsFord CityMaricopaButtonwillowRosedale