Redding, CA Frost Dates
Average frost dates, USDA hardiness zone, and growing season length for Redding, California.
Gardening in Redding
Northern California's Sacramento Valley town is hot, sunny, and surprisingly productive. At the head of the Central Valley, Redding has some of California's most affordable land with excellent growing conditions.
Zone 9a with genuine Central Valley heat — summer temperatures regularly exceed 105°F. But the surrounding Shasta-Trinity mountains provide snowmelt irrigation. Your 263-day growing season is generous.
The Sundial Bridge spans the Sacramento River in a city where outdoor living includes outdoor growing. Mt. Shasta provides the backdrop for gardens that produce with Central Valley abundance.
What This Means for Redding Gardeners
The average last spring frost in Redding is around February 28, and the average first fall frost arrives around November 18. That gives you approximately 263 frost-free days to work with.
263 days is a long, productive season that supports two full rounds of warm-season crops plus continuous cool-season production through your mild winter. Most frost-sensitive crops can be transplanted by February 28, giving them months to produce before fall. Your winter garden is the real advantage — growing fresh vegetables in December and January while northern gardeners browse seed catalogs.
These dates are based on NOAA 30-year Climate Normal data for the Redding area. Your actual frost dates could shift 2-3 weeks in either direction in any given year. Learn more about our data sources.
What to Grow in Redding
Redding's 263-day growing season is generous — long enough for two full growing windows (spring and fall) with warm-season crops between them. You can grow the full range of vegetables, herbs, and flowers with proper timing. Focus on heat-tolerant varieties for midsummer and cool-season crops for extended fall harvests. Recommended starting points: tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, squash, garlic, kale, and sunflowers.
See the full California planting guide for all 40 plants: California Planting Calendar. Or enter your zip code for exact planting dates personalized to Redding.
More About Zone 9A
Redding is in USDA Hardiness Zone 9A, which means average annual extreme minimum temperatures between 20°F to 25°F. View the full Zone 9A planting guide.
See the complete planting calendar for California: California Planting Calendar.
Other Cities in California
Frequently Asked Questions
These dates are based on NOAA's 30-year Climate Normal data for the Redding area. They represent historical averages, not predictions. In any given year, the actual last frost could be 2-3 weeks earlier or later. Microclimates within Redding (urban heat islands, hilltops, low-lying valleys) can also shift your local frost dates by a week or more.
Cool-season crops go in 3-4 weeks before your last frost (February 28). Warm-season crops wait until 2 weeks after. You have time for a fall round too — plant cool-season crops again in late summer for harvest into autumn. Enter your zip code for exact dates.