Elk Creek, CA planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9a20 to 25 °F
- Last frost
- Apr 5avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 13avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 220days
Elk Creek, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a. Its average last spring frost is around April 5 and the first fall frost around November 13, giving a growing season of about 220 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.
Elk Creek planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Elk Creek'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 | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 19 | Jun 11 – Jul 1 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | Jun 18 – Jul 18 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 19 | Jun 1 – Jun 21 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 12 – Apr 19 | May 27 – Jun 11 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 12 – Apr 19 | Jun 1 – Jun 11 | Sep 14 – Sep 24 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | Jun 4 – Jul 4 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 12 – Apr 19 | May 12 – May 27 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 22 – May 7 | Aug 31 – Sep 15 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 18 – May 3 | Aug 21 – Sep 5 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 3 – Apr 13 | Sep 10 – Sep 20 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | May 14 – Jun 3 | Aug 11 – Aug 31 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | May 2 – May 22 | Aug 16 – Sep 5 |
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 USC00048587. 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 | Apr 24 | May 12 | Oct 31 | Nov 13 | 188 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 5 | Apr 24 | Nov 13 | Nov 29 | 220 |
| 28°F | Mar 1 | Apr 5 | Nov 29 | Dec 19 | 271 |
| 24°F | Jan 13 | Feb 28 | Dec 13 | Jan 17 | 334 |
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) | 4,253 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 7,337 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9a
Elk Creek 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 Elk Creek?
- Elk Creek, 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 Elk Creek?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around April 5, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as April 24, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Elk Creek?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 13. That leaves a growing season of about 220 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Elk Creek?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Feb 8 – Feb 22 and transplant them outside about Apr 12 – Apr 19, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jun 11 – Jul 1.
- How long is the growing season in Elk Creek?
- About 220 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~April 5) and the average first fall frost (~November 13). 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 USC00048587 (Stony Gorge Rsvr, 7.2 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.