Fresno, CA 93728 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.
Fresno sits in USDA Zone 9b (25 to 30°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
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
About 337 days separate Fresno's last and first frost, putting it 2,651 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 1,174 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Fresno can differ from the 93728 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Fresno's frost date answer different questions.