Elk Grove, CA 94234 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Elk Grove, CA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/02, about 158 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/02, about 301 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 Elk Grove, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 14 weeks of growing season left in Elk Grove 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
02/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Elk Grove compares
Elk Grove's growing season runs about 301 days, ranking 3,818 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CA, it ranks 1,544 of 2,555.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Elk Grove's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Elk Grove's dates instead of trusting one.