When to plant in Topanga, CA
Planting dates worked out from Topanga's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 22
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 8
1 year in 10 by Nov 23
Frost-free days
286
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Woodland Hills Pierce College · 10.1 km away · station 241 m, town 256 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 12 – Feb 26 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 3 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 8 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 21 – Dec 28 | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 6 |
| Peas | — | Jan 11 – Feb 8 | Mar 7 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | May 22 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 2 |
| Beet | — | Jan 25 – Mar 8 | Mar 16 |
| Potato | — | Feb 1 – Feb 22 | Apr 12 |
| Kale | Dec 14 – Dec 28 | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 9 |
| Broccoli | Dec 14 – Dec 28 | Jan 25 – Feb 15 | Mar 26 |
| Cucumber | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 29 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 24 |
| Winter squash | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 28 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jun 1 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 25 – Feb 15 | Apr 25 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 24 – Dec 22 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 11 – Feb 8 | Feb 18 |
| Basil | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 5 |
Topanga'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 |
|---|---|
| 1950 | Apr 10 |
| 1951 | Apr 1 |
| 1952 | Mar 17 |
| 1953 | Apr 10 |
| 1954 | Mar 26 |
| 1955 | Mar 23 |
| 1956 | Mar 16 |
| 1957 | Feb 5 |
| 1958 | Mar 13 |
| 1959 | Feb 14 |
| 1960 | Feb 25 |
| 1961 | Jan 12 |
| 1962 | Mar 15 |
| 1963 | Apr 24 |
| 1964 | Mar 25 |
| 1965 | Mar 3 |
| 1966 | Mar 4 |
| 1967 | Mar 6 |
| 1968 | Jan 30 |
| 1969 | Mar 11 |
| 1970 | Jan 30 |
| 1971 | Mar 3 |
| 1972 | Mar 28 |
| 1973 | Jan 27 |
| 1974 | Mar 5 |
| 1975 | Apr 7 |
| 1976 | Mar 13 |
| 1977 | Mar 19 |
| 1978 | Jan 25 |
| 1979 | Mar 2 |
| 1980 | Feb 11 |
| 1981 | Feb 27 |
| 1982 | Apr 2 |
| 1983 | Apr 13 |
| 1984 | Apr 1 |
| 1985 | Mar 5 |
| 1986 | Feb 10 |
| 1987 | Mar 22 |
| 1988 | Feb 18 |
| 1989 | Feb 17 |
| 1990 | Mar 13 |
| 1991 | Mar 17 |
| 1992 | Jan 13 |
| 1993 | Jan 12 |
| 1994 | Feb 19 |
| 1995 | Mar 26 |
| 1996 | Mar 25 |
| 1997 | Mar 3 |
| 1998 | Apr 16 |
| 1999 | Apr 10 |
| 2000 | Mar 7 |
| 2001 | Apr 9 |
| 2002 | Mar 17 |
| 2003 | Feb 9 |
| 2004 | Feb 19 |
| 2005 | Jan 5 |
| 2006 | Mar 14 |
| 2007 | Feb 24 |
| 2008 | Apr 19 |
| 2009 | Feb 15 |
| 2010 | Jan 24 |
| 2011 | Feb 28 |
| 2012 | Mar 1 |
| 2013 | Feb 21 |
| 2015 | Jan 3 |
| 2017 | Jan 25 |
| 2018 | Feb 28 |
| 2019 | Feb 23 |
| 2020 | Feb 5 |
| 2021 | Jan 26 |
| 2022 | Jan 3 |
| 2023 | Feb 19 |
| 2024 | Jan 12 |
| 2026 | Feb 20 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 214 |
| 1951 | 221 |
| 1952 | 252 |
| 1953 | 195 |
| 1954 | 212 |
| 1955 | 236 |
| 1956 | 279 |
| 1957 | 285 |
| 1958 | 248 |
| 1959 | 319 |
| 1960 | 275 |
| 1961 | 333 |
| 1962 | 287 |
| 1963 | 229 |
| 1964 | 235 |
| 1965 | 286 |
| 1966 | 294 |
| 1967 | 271 |
| 1968 | 308 |
| 1969 | 273 |
| 1970 | 326 |
| 1971 | 240 |
| 1972 | 248 |
| 1973 | 300 |
| 1974 | 265 |
| 1975 | 224 |
| 1976 | 268 |
| 1977 | 286 |
| 1978 | 290 |
| 1979 | 263 |
| 1980 | 278 |
| 1981 | 299 |
| 1982 | 225 |
| 1983 | 222 |
| 1984 | 238 |
| 1985 | 252 |
| 1986 | 303 |
| 1987 | 250 |
| 1988 | 273 |
| 1989 | 297 |
| 1990 | 261 |
| 1991 | 258 |
| 1992 | 325 |
| 1993 | 334 |
| 1994 | 256 |
| 1995 | 266 |
| 1996 | 237 |
| 1997 | 280 |
| 1998 | 235 |
| 1999 | 226 |
| 2001 | 232 |
| 2002 | 275 |
| 2003 | 287 |
| 2004 | 276 |
| 2005 | 344 |
| 2006 | 261 |
| 2007 | 280 |
| 2008 | 238 |
| 2009 | 291 |
| 2010 | 306 |
| 2011 | 281 |
| 2012 | 293 |
| 2013 | 286 |
| 2014 | 360 |
| 2015 | 330 |
| 2016 | 363 |
| 2017 | 330 |
| 2018 | 305 |
| 2019 | 297 |
| 2020 | 328 |
| 2021 | 322 |
| 2022 | 344 |
| 2023 | 314 |
| 2024 | 352 |
| 2025 | 363 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 19.3 °C |
| 1951 | 20.1 °C |
| 1952 | 19.7 °C |
| 1953 | 18.9 °C |
| 1954 | 19.8 °C |
| 1955 | 20.5 °C |
| 1956 | 20.3 °C |
| 1957 | 21.3 °C |
| 1958 | 21.7 °C |
| 1959 | 22.0 °C |
| 1960 | 22.8 °C |
| 1961 | 21.6 °C |
| 1962 | 20.8 °C |
| 1963 | 20.2 °C |
| 1964 | 20.0 °C |
| 1965 | 19.9 °C |
| 1966 | 21.6 °C |
| 1967 | 20.6 °C |
| 1968 | 21.0 °C |
| 1969 | 21.6 °C |
| 1970 | 21.5 °C |
| 1971 | 21.1 °C |
| 1972 | 21.7 °C |
| 1973 | 21.3 °C |
| 1974 | 22.0 °C |
| 1975 | 20.8 °C |
| 1976 | 21.1 °C |
| 1977 | 20.9 °C |
| 1978 | 21.4 °C |
| 1979 | 21.8 °C |
| 1980 | 20.7 °C |
| 1981 | 22.5 °C |
| 1989 | 22.4 °C |
| 1990 | 22.6 °C |
| 1992 | 23.3 °C |
| 1995 | 20.4 °C |
| 1996 | 22.6 °C |
| 1997 | 22.2 °C |
| 2002 | 21.4 °C |
| 2003 | 21.4 °C |
| 2007 | 22.2 °C |
| 2008 | 22.0 °C |
| 2012 | 23.3 °C |
| 2013 | 23.1 °C |
| 2014 | 23.4 °C |
| 2015 | 23.1 °C |
| 2016 | 23.3 °C |
| 2017 | 23.4 °C |
| 2018 | 23.5 °C |
| 2019 | 22.3 °C |
| 2020 | 23.4 °C |
| 2021 | 23.3 °C |
| 2022 | 23.8 °C |
| 2023 | 21.7 °C |
| 2024 | 22.9 °C |
| 2025 | 22.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1950, Topanga'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 Woodland Hills Pierce College (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.