Lake Hughes, CA 93536 planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 8b15 to 20 °F
- Last frost
- Apr 6avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 29avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 236days
Lake Hughes, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 8b. Its average last spring frost is around April 6 and the first fall frost around November 29, giving a growing season of about 236 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.
Lake Hughes planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Lake Hughes'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 9 – Feb 23 | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | Jun 12 – Jul 2 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Apr 20 – Apr 27 | Jun 19 – Jul 19 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 9 – Mar 16 | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | Jun 2 – Jun 22 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | May 28 – Jun 12 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | Jun 2 – Jun 12 | Sep 30 – Oct 10 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 5 – Jul 5 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | May 13 – May 28 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 23 – May 8 | Sep 16 – Oct 1 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 19 – May 4 | Sep 6 – Sep 21 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 4 – Apr 14 | Sep 26 – Oct 6 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | May 15 – Jun 4 | Aug 27 – Sep 16 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | May 3 – May 23 | 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 USC00042941. 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 30 | Jun 1 | Nov 13 | Dec 2 | 196 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 6 | May 20 | Nov 29 | Dec 15 | 236 |
| 28°F | Feb 25 | May 1 | Dec 10 | Jan 7 | 293 |
| 24°F | Jan 20 | Mar 17 | Dec 29 | Feb 15 | 353 |
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) | 4,970 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 8,112 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 8b
Lake Hughes sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 8b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 15 to 20 °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 8b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Lake Hughes?
- Lake Hughes, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 8b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 15 to 20 °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 Lake Hughes?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around April 6, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as May 20, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Lake Hughes?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 29. That leaves a growing season of about 236 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Lake Hughes?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Feb 9 – Feb 23 and transplant them outside about Apr 13 – Apr 20, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jun 12 – Jul 2.
- How long is the growing season in Lake Hughes?
- About 236 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~April 6) 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 USC00042941 (Fairmont, 5.3 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.