Durham, CA 95938 planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9a20 to 25 °F
- Last frost
- Jan 29avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Dec 7avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 317days
Durham, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a. Its average last spring frost is around January 29 and the first fall frost around December 7, giving a growing season of about 317 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.
Durham planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Durham'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 | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Apr 6 – Apr 26 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 | Feb 12 – Feb 19 | Apr 13 – May 13 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Jan 1 – Jan 8 | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 27 – Apr 16 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 22 – Apr 6 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 27 – Apr 6 | Oct 8 – Oct 18 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 30 – Apr 29 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 1 | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 7 – Mar 22 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 1 | Jan 1 – Jan 15 | Feb 15 – Mar 2 | Sep 24 – Oct 9 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 1 | Feb 25 – Mar 12 | Sep 14 – Sep 29 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 1 | Feb 10 – Feb 20 | Oct 4 – Oct 14 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Jan 8 – Jan 15 | Mar 9 – Mar 29 | Sep 4 – Sep 24 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 1 | Jan 1 – Jan 15 | Feb 25 – Mar 17 | Sep 9 – Sep 29 |
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 USW00093210. 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 6 | Apr 1 | Nov 24 | Dec 10 | 261 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Jan 29 | Feb 28 | Dec 7 | Jan 6 | 317 |
| 28°F | Jan 9 | Feb 6 | Dec 27 | Jan 26 | 360 |
| 24°F | Jan 3 | Jan 22 | Jan 2 | Jan 22 | 365 |
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) | 5,120 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 8,488 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9a
Durham sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 20 to 25 °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 9a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Durham?
- Durham, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 20 to 25 °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 Durham?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around January 29, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as February 28, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Durham?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around December 7. That leaves a growing season of about 317 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Durham?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 1 and transplant them outside about Feb 5 – Feb 12, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Apr 6 – Apr 26.
- How long is the growing season in Durham?
- About 317 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~January 29) and the average first fall frost (~December 7). 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 USW00093210 (Oroville Muni Ap, 19.8 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.