Avenal, CA planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9b25 to 30 °F
- Last frost
- Feb 19avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 29avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 281days
Avenal, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9b. Its average last spring frost is around February 19 and the first fall frost around November 29, giving a growing season of about 281 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Avenal planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Avenal's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Jan 1 – Jan 8 | Feb 26 – Mar 5 | Apr 27 – May 17 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 | Mar 5 – Mar 12 | May 4 – Jun 3 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Jan 22 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 5 | Apr 17 – May 7 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Feb 26 – Mar 5 | Apr 12 – Apr 27 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Feb 26 – Mar 5 | Apr 17 – Apr 27 | Sep 30 – Oct 10 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 20 – May 20 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 8 – Jan 22 | Feb 26 – Mar 5 | Mar 28 – Apr 12 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 8 – Jan 22 | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 8 – Mar 23 | Sep 16 – Oct 1 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 8 – Jan 22 | Mar 4 – Mar 19 | Sep 6 – Sep 21 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 8 – Jan 22 | Feb 17 – Feb 27 | Sep 26 – Oct 6 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Jan 29 – Feb 5 | Mar 30 – Apr 19 | Aug 27 – Sep 16 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 1 – Jan 8 | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 18 – Apr 7 | Sep 1 – Sep 21 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00044534. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 17 | Apr 8 | Nov 15 | Nov 30 | 242 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 19 | Mar 15 | Nov 29 | Dec 17 | 281 |
| 28°F | Jan 24 | Feb 23 | Dec 12 | Jan 15 | 324 |
| 24°F | Jan 2 | Jan 31 | Dec 22 | Jan 16 | 363 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 5,598 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 8,905 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9b
Avenal sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 9b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 25 to 30 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 9b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Avenal?
- Avenal, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 25 to 30 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Avenal?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around February 19, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as March 15, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Avenal?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 29. That leaves a growing season of about 281 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Avenal?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 1 – Jan 8 and transplant them outside about Feb 26 – Mar 5, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Apr 27 – May 17.
- How long is the growing season in Avenal?
- About 281 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~February 19) and the average first fall frost (~November 29). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USC00044534 (Kettleman City, 3.7 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.