Elk Grove, CA 94256 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.
Elk Grove 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 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.
Why 02/02 isn't a guarantee
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
About 301 days separate Elk Grove's last and first frost, putting it 3,832 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 1,558 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Elk Grove can differ from the 94256 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Elk Grove's frost date answer different questions.