Which frost date do the crop weeks use?

Weeks after the frost-free date use the median last 32°F date, January 29, when the guide does not name a probability. Weeks before the first freeze use the median first 32°F date, December 10. Both medians are 50% dates in the NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station on this page. The page says when that anchor was used.

Where do the crop dates come from?

Crop dates come from the extension guide cited on this page, not from a second calendar invented here. The publisher and the title are printed with the source note. A month without a day is expanded to the first and last day of that month, and the page says so. A phrase without two dates stays a phrase.

Is this planting calendar a forecast?

No. The frost dates are 1991–2020 climate normals at the station 2.3 miles from the city point. The crop windows are the cited guide’s ranges, shifted only when that guide itself used weeks. A cold spring can still fall past the median. The National Weather Service forecast covers a particular night. This page does not.

Planting calendar for Salinas, CA

Direct answer. In Salinas, CA, the median last 32°F date at SALINAS MUNICIPAL AP, CA US (USW00023233) is January 29, and the median first 32°F date is December 10. The station is 2.3 miles from the city point. Crop windows come from UC ANR, UC Master Gardener Program. Where that guide counts weeks from a frost date and does not name a 10%, 50%, or 90% level, those weeks are applied to these median dates.

Median last 32°F January 29. Median first 32°F December 10. Frost dates for Salinas.

A wall calendar surrounded by vegetables, herbs, seed packets, and watering cans.

Median last 32°F is January 29. Median first 32°F is December 10. The 50% growing-season length is 325 days. The green band runs from the median last frost to the median first frost. Thin ticks mark the 10%, 50%, and 90% dates.

Outside the median season Growing seasonTicks: 10%, 50%, and 90%

Last 32°F in spring

NCEI’s probability is the chance the last spring minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or after the date.

Probability	Date	How to read it
90%	December 18	Earlier date. A last 32°F on or after this day is common.
50%	January 29	Median.
10%	March 1	Later date. A last 32°F on or after this day is uncommon.

First 32°F in fall

NCEI’s probability is the chance the first autumn minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or before the date.

Probability	Date	How to read it
10%	November 21	Earlier date. A first 32°F on or before this day is uncommon.
50%	December 10	Median.
90%	January 15	Later date. A first 32°F on or before this day is common.

32°F growing-season length

Days between the last spring 32°F and the first autumn 32°F. The figure is a length the season meets or exceeds at that probability, from NCEI, not a subtraction done on this site.

Probability the season is at least this long	Days
10%	364
50%	325
90%	281

28°F threshold

	10%	50%	90%
Last, on or after	January 31	December 31	December 6
First, on or before	December 1	December 25	January 20
Season at least	365 days	365 days	336 days

36°F threshold

	10%	50%	90%
Last, on or after	April 8	March 9	February 2
First, on or before	November 4	November 23	December 14
Season at least	297 days	257 days	217 days

Station SALINAS MUNICIPAL AP, CA US (USW00023233). Completeness flag S, 27 years used for the 32°F dates. NCEI’s annual probability of at least one day at or below 32°F is 89.9%. Freeze dates are conditional on that threshold occurring. Elevation 22.6 m. The same probability language applies to the 28°F and 36°F rows when those dates passed the same quality checks.

Questions

Which frost date do the crop weeks use?: Weeks after the frost-free date use the median last 32°F date, January 29, when the guide does not name a probability. Weeks before the first freeze use the median first 32°F date, December 10. Both medians are 50% dates in the NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station on this page. The page says when that anchor was used.
Where do the crop dates come from?: Crop dates come from the extension guide cited on this page, not from a second calendar invented here. The publisher and the title are printed with the source note. A month without a day is expanded to the first and last day of that month, and the page says so. A phrase without two dates stays a phrase.
Is this planting calendar a forecast?: No. The frost dates are 1991–2020 climate normals at the station 2.3 miles from the city point. The crop windows are the cited guide’s ranges, shifted only when that guide itself used weeks. A cold spring can still fall past the median. The National Weather Service forecast covers a particular night. This page does not.

Crops in the cited guide

Salinas, CA

Zone 9bAverage annual extreme minimum 25°F to 30°F

Outside the median season Growing seasonTicks: 10%, 50%, and 90%

California. Nearest qualified station: SALINAS MUNICIPAL AP, CA US (USW00023233), 2.3 miles. Median last 32°F January 29. Median first 32°F December 10. The 50% growing-season length is 325 days.

Open the ZIP page · Crop guides for California

32°F probabilities at this station

	10%	50%	90%
Last 32°F on or after	March 1	January 29	December 18
First 32°F on or before	November 21	December 10	January 15

Column order matches the NCEI file: for the last freeze, 10% is the later date and 90% is the earlier date. How to read the probabilities.

Planting calendar

Windows below are from UC ANR, UC Master Gardener Program, Time of planting, retrieved 2026-10-10. North and North Coast = Monterey County north; South Coast = San Luis Obispo County south; Interior Valleys = Sacramento, San Joaquin, and similar valleys; Desert Valleys = Imperial and Coachella Valleys. Source line on the page: California Master Gardener Handbook, Table 13.2, Adapted from Vegetable Gardening Illustrated 1994.

Crop

Date checks use your device’s calendar and appear after the page loads.

State crop pages: Beans, snap · Beets · Broccoli · Cabbage · Carrots · Corn, sweet · Cucumbers · Eggplant