USDA Hardiness Zone 9a
Frost Dates for 95959 — Nevada City, California
Averages from Nevada City, Ca US, the nearest reporting station, 4.5 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 14, and expect the first autumn freeze around November 20. That leaves about 218 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 14
- First fall frost
- November 20
- Growing season
- 218 days
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
20 to 25°F annual low
Planting calendar for 95959
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 3 – February 17 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 17 – March 3 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 17 – March 31 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 14 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 28 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 6 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 20 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 April 14 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Nevada City, California are past their last freeze. Harvest before November 20, which leaves roughly 218 frost-free days.
ZIP 95959 sits in USDA hardiness zone 9a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 20 to 25°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.