Truckee, CA planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 6b−5 to 0 °F
- Last frost
- Jun 9avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Sep 25avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 108days
Truckee, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 6b. Its average last spring frost is around June 9 and the first fall frost around September 25, giving a growing season of about 108 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.
Truckee planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Truckee'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 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 16 – Jun 23 | Aug 15 – Sep 4 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | Jun 23 – Jun 30 | Aug 22 – Sep 21 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | May 12 – May 19 | Jun 16 – Jun 23 | Aug 5 – Aug 25 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jun 16 – Jun 23 | Jul 31 – Aug 15 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jun 16 – Jun 23 | Aug 5 – Aug 15 | Jul 27 – Aug 6 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Jun 9 – Jun 23 | Aug 8 – Sep 7 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 16 – Jun 23 | Jul 16 – Jul 31 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Apr 28 – May 12 | May 12 – May 26 | Jun 26 – Jul 11 | Jul 13 – Jul 28 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 – Jul 7 | Jul 3 – Jul 18 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 7 – Jun 17 | Jul 23 – Aug 2 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | May 19 – May 26 | Jul 18 – Aug 7 | Jun 23 – Jul 13 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 6 – Jul 26 | Jun 28 – Jul 18 |
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 USC00048758. 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 | — | — | — | — | 73 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Jun 9 | Jun 25 | Sep 25 | Oct 10 | 108 |
| 28°F | May 24 | Jun 10 | Oct 12 | Oct 28 | 143 |
| 24°F | Apr 28 | May 22 | Oct 30 | Nov 12 | 181 |
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) | 1,167 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 2,810 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 6b
Truckee sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 6b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −5 to 0 °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 6b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Truckee?
- Truckee, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 6b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −5 to 0 °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 Truckee?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around June 9, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as June 25, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Truckee?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around September 25. That leaves a growing season of about 108 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Truckee?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Apr 14 – Apr 28 and transplant them outside about Jun 16 – Jun 23, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Aug 15 – Sep 4.
- How long is the growing season in Truckee?
- About 108 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~June 9) and the average first fall frost (~September 25). 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 USC00048758 (Tahoe City, 14.4 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.