Petaluma, CA 94954 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Petaluma, CA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/28, about 184 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/25, about 271 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Petaluma in Zone 9b (25 to 30°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 13 weeks of growing season left in Petaluma before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 02/28 isn't a guarantee
02/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/24 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Petaluma compares
At roughly 271 frost-free days, Petaluma places 5,415 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within CA, it ranks 1,871 of 2,555.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Petaluma's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Petaluma's dates instead of trusting one.