When to plant in Valley Center, CA
Planting dates worked out from Valley Center's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 27
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 17
1 year in 10 by Nov 25
Frost-free days
314
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Valley Center California · 3.2 km away · station 452 m, town 400 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 | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 21 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 26 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 9 – Dec 16 | Jan 13 – Jan 27 | Feb 22 |
| Peas | — | Dec 30 – Jan 27 | Feb 23 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 9 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 20 – Mar 3 | Mar 21 |
| Beet | — | Jan 13 – Feb 24 | Mar 4 |
| Potato | — | Jan 20 – Feb 10 | Mar 31 |
| Kale | Dec 2 – Dec 16 | Jan 13 – Jan 27 | Feb 25 |
| Broccoli | Dec 2 – Dec 16 | Jan 13 – Feb 3 | Mar 14 |
| Cucumber | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 16 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 11 |
| Winter squash | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | Jun 15 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 19 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 13 – Feb 3 | Apr 13 |
| Garlic | — | Dec 3 – Dec 31 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Dec 30 – Jan 27 | Feb 6 |
| Basil | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 23 |
Valley Center'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 |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Apr 12 |
| 1996 | Mar 1 |
| 1997 | Mar 1 |
| 1998 | Mar 30 |
| 1999 | Apr 10 |
| 2000 | Jan 3 |
| 2001 | Feb 15 |
| 2002 | Mar 19 |
| 2003 | Feb 9 |
| 2004 | Feb 15 |
| 2005 | Jan 31 |
| 2008 | Feb 15 |
| 2009 | Feb 10 |
| 2011 | Feb 27 |
| 2013 | Jan 15 |
| 2016 | Feb 2 |
| 2018 | Feb 21 |
| 2019 | Feb 22 |
| 2020 | Feb 5 |
| 2021 | Jan 26 |
| 2023 | Apr 4 |
| 2024 | Jan 8 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 294 |
| 1997 | 282 |
| 1998 | 250 |
| 1999 | 244 |
| 2000 | 314 |
| 2003 | 287 |
| 2004 | 286 |
| 2005 | 299 |
| 2008 | 318 |
| 2009 | 315 |
| 2010 | 327 |
| 2011 | 306 |
| 2012 | 351 |
| 2013 | 327 |
| 2014 | 363 |
| 2015 | 359 |
| 2016 | 331 |
| 2017 | 353 |
| 2018 | 309 |
| 2019 | 311 |
| 2020 | 328 |
| 2021 | 338 |
| 2022 | 363 |
| 2023 | 270 |
| 2024 | 356 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 19.1 °C |
| 1996 | 21.4 °C |
| 1997 | 21.2 °C |
| 1998 | 19.8 °C |
| 1999 | 19.3 °C |
| 2000 | 20.9 °C |
| 2001 | 20.7 °C |
| 2002 | 21.0 °C |
| 2003 | 21.3 °C |
| 2004 | 21.4 °C |
| 2008 | 21.4 °C |
| 2009 | 20.8 °C |
| 2010 | 19.1 °C |
| 2011 | 19.6 °C |
| 2012 | 21.0 °C |
| 2013 | 20.9 °C |
| 2014 | 21.6 °C |
| 2015 | 21.2 °C |
| 2016 | 21.0 °C |
| 2017 | 21.3 °C |
| 2018 | 21.2 °C |
| 2019 | 20.2 °C |
| 2020 | 21.6 °C |
| 2021 | 21.1 °C |
| 2022 | 22.0 °C |
| 2023 | 19.7 °C |
| 2024 | 20.8 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Valley Center California (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.