Waterford, CA 95323 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Waterford, CA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 01/06, roughly 131 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/20, about 351 frost-free days later.
Waterford 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 16 weeks of growing season left in Waterford before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/06 isn't a guarantee
01/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Waterford compares
Waterford's growing season runs about 351 days, ranking 2,308 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CA, it ranks 1,020 of 2,555.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Waterford's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Waterford's dates instead of trusting one.