La Quinta, CA planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 10a30 to 35 °F
- Last frost
- Feb 7avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Dec 2avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 298days
La Quinta, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 10a. Its average last spring frost is around February 7 and the first fall frost around December 2, giving a growing season of about 298 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.
La Quinta planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from La Quinta'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 14 – Feb 21 | Apr 15 – May 5 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Apr 22 – May 22 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Jan 10 – Jan 17 | Feb 14 – Feb 21 | Apr 5 – Apr 25 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Feb 14 – Feb 21 | Mar 31 – Apr 15 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Feb 14 – Feb 21 | Apr 5 – Apr 15 | Oct 3 – Oct 13 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Apr 8 – May 8 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 1 – Jan 10 | Feb 14 – Feb 21 | Mar 16 – Mar 31 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 1 – Jan 10 | Jan 10 – Jan 24 | Feb 24 – Mar 11 | Sep 19 – Oct 4 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 1 – Jan 10 | Feb 25 – Mar 12 | Sep 9 – Sep 24 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 1 – Jan 10 | Feb 10 – Feb 20 | Sep 29 – Oct 9 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Jan 17 – Jan 24 | Mar 18 – Apr 7 | Aug 30 – Sep 19 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 1 | Jan 10 – Jan 24 | Mar 6 – Mar 26 | Sep 4 – Sep 24 |
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 USW00003104. 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 | Feb 28 | Mar 25 | Nov 21 | Dec 5 | 266 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 7 | Mar 1 | Dec 2 | Dec 21 | 298 |
| 28°F | Jan 15 | Feb 16 | Dec 13 | Jan 5 | 334 |
| 24°F | Dec 31 | Feb 1 | Dec 21 | Jan 16 | 364 |
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) | 8,296 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 11,897 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 10a
La Quinta sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 10a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 30 to 35 °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 10a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is La Quinta?
- La Quinta, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 10a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 30 to 35 °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 La Quinta?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around February 7, 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 1, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in La Quinta?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around December 2. That leaves a growing season of about 298 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in La Quinta?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 1 and transplant them outside about Feb 14 – Feb 21, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Apr 15 – May 5.
- How long is the growing season in La Quinta?
- About 298 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~February 7) and the average first fall frost (~December 2). 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 USW00003104 (Desert Resorts Rgnl Ap, 11.7 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.