USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 96150 — South Lake Tahoe, California
Averages from Dagget Pass, Nv US, the nearest reporting station, 8 miles away.
Plant tender crops after June 7, and expect the first autumn freeze around September 28. That leaves about 113 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- June 7
- First fall frost
- September 28
- Growing season
- 113 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
-5 to 0°F annual low
Planting calendar for 96150
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 29 – April 12 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| April 12 – April 26 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| May 10 – May 24 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| June 7 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 6 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 14 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| September 28 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 June 7 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in South Lake Tahoe, California are past their last freeze. Harvest before September 28, which leaves roughly 113 frost-free days.
ZIP 96150 sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between -5 to 0°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.