USDA zone 7b in California
USDA plant hardiness zone 7b covers 15 locations across California (average annual extreme minimum 5 to 10 °F): Big Creek, CA, Coffee Creek, CA, East Quincy, CA, Fall River Mills, CA, Greenville, CA, Lake of the Woods, CA, and 9 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges April 15 (Lake of the Woods) to June 10 (Mineral), and growing seasons run 96–224 days (Mineral to Lake of the Woods) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every California location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Greenville, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 7b5 to 10 °F
- Last frost range
- Apr 15–Jun 10avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Sep 13–Nov 26avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 96–224days
Locations in this group
Every location below shares this zone and a nearby weather station, but keeps its own frost dates — find your town for its own numbers, or use the ZIP planner on the home page for an instant personalized answer.
| Location | Also covers | Nearest station | Last frost | First frost | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Creek | — | Huntington Lake | Jun 1 | Oct 6 | 129 |
| Coffee Creek | — | Callahan | May 20 | Oct 5 | 135 |
| East Quincy | Crescent Mills, Taylorsville | Quincy | May 22 | Sep 25 | 122 |
| Fall River Mills | Cassel, Johnson Park | Hat Creek | May 29 | Sep 19 | 113 |
| Greenville * | Belden, Prattville | Canyon Dam | May 18 | Oct 8 | 143 |
| Lake of the Woods | — | Sandberg | Apr 15 | Nov 26 | 224 |
| McCloud | — | Dunsmuir Trtmt Pl | Apr 23 | Oct 27 | 185 |
| Meyers | — | Pacific House | Apr 26 | Nov 2 | 191 |
| Mineral | — | Mineral | Jun 10 | Sep 13 | 96 |
| Montague | — | Montague Siskiyou Co Ap | May 12 | Oct 8 | 148 |
| Oak Glen | Big Bear Lake, Running Springs | Big Bear Lake | May 27 | Oct 4 | 131 |
| Pine Flat | — | Glennville | May 11 | Oct 17 | 155 |
| Strawberry | — | Cherry Valley Dam | May 2 | Nov 4 | 183 |
| Wilsonia | — | Grant Grove | Jun 1 | Oct 7 | 132 |
| Wrightwood | — | Wrightwood | May 16 | Oct 13 | 151 |
* Greenville is this group's median-season location — the calendar below is computed from its data.
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.
Planting calendar (Greenville, representative)
Computed from Greenville's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Californiazone 7b group. 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 — your own location's dates may run a week or two earlier or later (see the table above).
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting | Season fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 25 – Jun 1 | Jul 24 – Aug 13 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Jun 1 – Jun 8 | Jul 31 – Aug 30 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 20 – Apr 27 | May 25 – Jun 1 | Jul 14 – Aug 3 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 25 – Jun 1 | Jul 9 – Jul 24 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 25 – Jun 1 | Jul 14 – Jul 24 | Aug 9 – Aug 19 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | May 18 – Jun 1 | Jul 17 – Aug 16 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 25 – Jun 1 | Jun 24 – Jul 9 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 4 – Jun 19 | Jul 26 – Aug 10 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 31 – Jun 15 | Jul 16 – Jul 31 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 16 – May 26 | Aug 5 – Aug 15 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 27 – May 4 | Jun 26 – Jul 16 | Jul 6 – Jul 26 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 14 – Jul 4 | Jul 11 – Jul 31 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Greenville's own 143-day growing season (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020 median) against each crop's real days-to-maturity range: 12 of 12 crops mature here with comfortable margin. A different location in the table above with a longer or shorter season will get a different mix — the ZIP planner on the home page gives your own.
Frost & freeze dates (Greenville)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00041497. 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 — 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 7 | Jun 23 | Sep 24 | Oct 9 | 106 |
| 32°F (freeze) | May 18 | Jun 9 | Oct 8 | Oct 24 | 143 |
| 28°F | Apr 26 | May 16 | Oct 26 | Nov 11 | 181 |
| 24°F | Apr 8 | Apr 26 | Nov 11 | Nov 28 | 216 |
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. This group's median GDD (base 50°F) across all 15 locations is 2,240; Greenville's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 2,062 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 4,093 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7b in California
Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 5 to 10 °F on the USDA's 2023 map — the number that 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. California spans 12 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all California locations for the full range, including zones5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a.
Explore zone 7b in other states at zone 7b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 7b mean in California?
- Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 5 to 10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 15 locations in California fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- Where in California's zone 7b is the growing season longest?
- Lake of the Woods runs the longest season on this page at about 224 days; Mineral is shortest at about 96 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.
- When should I plant tomatoes in California's zone 7b?
- Using Greenville's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Mar 23 – Apr 6, then transplant outside about May 25 – Jun 1. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.
- Does every location in California's zone 7b have the same frost dates?
- No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 15 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one reading per location's own nearest station (see the table above). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to each 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.