Fresno, CA 93706 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Fresno, CA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 01/14, roughly 139 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/14, about 337 frost-free days later.
Zone 9b (25 to 30°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 Fresno, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 15 weeks of growing season left in Fresno before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/14 isn't a guarantee
01/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/22 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Fresno compares
Fresno's growing season runs about 337 days, ranking 2,645 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CA, it ranks 1,168 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Fresno can differ from the 93706 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Fresno's frost date answer different questions.