USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 96080 — Red Bluff, California
Averages from Red Bluff Muni Ap, Ca US, the nearest reporting station, 2.3 miles away.
Plant tender crops after February 22, and expect the first autumn freeze around November 29. That leaves about 281 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- February 22
- First fall frost
- November 29
- Growing season
- 281 days
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
25 to 30°F annual low
Planting calendar for 96080
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| December 14 – December 28 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| December 28 – January 11 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| January 25 – February 8 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| February 22 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by September 6 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 15 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 29 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 February 22 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Red Bluff, California are past their last freeze. Harvest before November 29, which leaves roughly 281 frost-free days.
ZIP 96080 sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 25 to 30°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.