Sacramento, CA 95837 planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9b25 to 30 °F
- Last frost
- Feb 22avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 24avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 277days
Sacramento, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9b. Its average last spring frost is around February 22 and the first fall frost around November 24, giving a growing season of about 277 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.
Sacramento planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Sacramento'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 11 | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Apr 30 – May 20 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | May 7 – Jun 6 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Jan 25 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Apr 20 – May 10 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Apr 15 – Apr 30 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Apr 20 – Apr 30 | Sep 25 – Oct 5 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 23 – May 23 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 11 – Jan 25 | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Mar 31 – Apr 15 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 11 – Jan 25 | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 11 – Mar 26 | Sep 11 – Sep 26 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 11 – Jan 25 | Mar 7 – Mar 22 | Sep 1 – Sep 16 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 11 – Jan 25 | Feb 20 – Mar 2 | Sep 21 – Oct 1 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Feb 1 – Feb 8 | Apr 2 – Apr 22 | Aug 22 – Sep 11 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 1 – Jan 11 | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 21 – Apr 10 | Aug 27 – Sep 16 |
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 USW00093225. 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 1 | Apr 22 | Nov 10 | Nov 25 | 224 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 22 | Apr 1 | Nov 24 | Dec 21 | 277 |
| 28°F | Jan 17 | Feb 19 | Dec 10 | Jan 18 | 335 |
| 24°F | Dec 30 | Jan 28 | Dec 19 | Jan 16 | 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) | 4,482 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 7,773 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9b
Sacramento 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 Sacramento?
- Sacramento, 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 Sacramento?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around February 22, 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 1, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Sacramento?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 24. That leaves a growing season of about 277 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Sacramento?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 1 – Jan 11 and transplant them outside about Mar 1 – Mar 8, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Apr 30 – May 20.
- How long is the growing season in Sacramento?
- About 277 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~February 22) and the average first fall frost (~November 24). 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 USW00093225 (Sacramento Metro Ap, 0.8 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.