FrostDateCheck

Benicia, CA 94569 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Benicia, CA?

Zone 9b

Around 02/28 is the usual last spring frost, about 184 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/22, about 266 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 Benicia, not a forecast for this year.

What to do before the first frost

About 12 weeks of growing season left in Benicia 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

02/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/29 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Benicia compares

Benicia's growing season runs about 266 days, ranking 5,924 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CA, it ranks 1,996 of 2,555.

Learn more

zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Benicia's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Benicia's dates instead of trusting one.