Warner Valley, CA planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 7a0 to 5 °F
- Last frost
- May 28avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Sep 28avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 124days
Warner Valley, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a. Its average last spring frost is around May 28 and the first fall frost around September 28, giving a growing season of about 124 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.
Warner Valley planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Warner Valley'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 2 – Apr 16 | Jun 4 – Jun 11 | Aug 3 – Aug 23 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Jun 11 – Jun 18 | Aug 10 – Sep 9 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 30 – May 7 | Jun 4 – Jun 11 | Jul 24 – Aug 13 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jun 4 – Jun 11 | Jul 19 – Aug 3 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jun 4 – Jun 11 | Jul 24 – Aug 3 | Jul 30 – Aug 9 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | May 28 – Jun 11 | Jul 27 – Aug 26 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Jun 4 – Jun 11 | Jul 4 – Jul 19 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 14 – Jun 29 | Jul 16 – Jul 31 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Jun 10 – Jun 25 | Jul 6 – Jul 21 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | May 26 – Jun 5 | Jul 26 – Aug 5 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | May 7 – May 14 | Jul 6 – Jul 26 | Jun 26 – Jul 16 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 24 – Jul 14 | Jul 1 – Jul 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 USC00041700. 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 | Jun 15 | Jul 2 | Sep 12 | Sep 26 | 89 |
| 32°F (freeze) | May 28 | Jun 13 | Sep 28 | Oct 14 | 124 |
| 28°F | May 2 | May 24 | Oct 18 | Nov 1 | 163 |
| 24°F | Apr 13 | May 3 | Nov 2 | Nov 17 | 203 |
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) | 1,837 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 3,779 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7a
Warner Valley sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 0 to 5 °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 7a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Warner Valley?
- Warner Valley, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 0 to 5 °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 Warner Valley?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around May 28, 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 13, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Warner Valley?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around September 28. That leaves a growing season of about 124 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Warner Valley?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Apr 2 – Apr 16 and transplant them outside about Jun 4 – Jun 11, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Aug 3 – Aug 23.
- How long is the growing season in Warner Valley?
- About 124 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~May 28) and the average first fall frost (~September 28). 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 USC00041700 (Chester, 1.7 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.