USDA Hardiness Zone 10b
Frost Dates for 91732 — El Monte, California
Averages from San Gabriel Fire Dept, Ca US, the nearest reporting station, 5 miles away.
Plant tender crops after January 4, and expect the first autumn freeze around January 2. That leaves about 365 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- January 4
- First fall frost
- January 2
- Growing season
- 365 days
- Hardiness zone
- 10b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
35 to 40°F annual low
Planting calendar for 91732
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| October 26 – November 9 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| November 9 – November 23 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| December 7 – December 21 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| January 4 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by October 10 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by December 19 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| January 2 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after January 4 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in El Monte, California are past their last freeze. Harvest before January 2, which leaves roughly 365 frost-free days.
ZIP 91732 sits in USDA hardiness zone 10b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 35 to 40°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.