Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Santa Cruz, CA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 01/29, about 154 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/13, about 323 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Santa Cruz 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 15 weeks of growing season left in Santa Cruz before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/29 isn't a guarantee
01/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/28 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/25 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Santa Cruz compares
At roughly 323 frost-free days, Santa Cruz places 3,254 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within CA, it ranks 1,384 of 2,555.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Santa Cruz's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Santa Cruz can differ from the 95060 normal.