Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93923 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 01/01, about 126 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/30, about 365 frost-free days later.
Zone 10a (30 to 35°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 Carmel-by-the-Sea, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 18 weeks of growing season left in Carmel-by-the-Sea before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
01/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Carmel-by-the-Sea compares
Carmel-by-the-Sea's growing season runs about 365 days, ranking 1,922 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CA, it ranks 891 of 2,555.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 10a and Carmel-by-the-Sea's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Carmel-by-the-Sea's dates instead of trusting one.