El Cajon, CA 92019 Frost Dates
When can you plant in El Cajon, CA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 01/06, about 131 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/21, about 350 frost-free days later.
Zone 10b (35 to 40°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for El Cajon, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 16 weeks of growing season left in El Cajon before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/06 isn't a guarantee
01/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/07 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How El Cajon compares
About 350 days separate El Cajon's last and first frost, putting it 2,318 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 1,024 of 2,555.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around El Cajon's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in El Cajon can differ from the 92019 normal.