Kirkwood, CA frost dates
Last spring frostAny monthno frost-free season
Freezing nights222 / yrat or below 32°F
Hardiness zone6bZone 6b
Gardening where frost is possible all year
The weather station nearest Kirkwood, CA records freezing temperatures in every month often enough that NOAA cannot define a frost-free season. Gardening is still possible — it just means planning for frost at any time:
- Grow fast, cold-tolerant crops: Radishes, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Peas, Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Garlic.
- Plant once the soil can be worked — usually late spring to early summer at high elevation — and keep row covers ready for clear, still nights.
- Use season extension: cold frames, low tunnels, wall-of-water cloches or a greenhouse turn a few frost-free weeks into a real season.
- Frost-tender crops (tomatoes, squash, beans) need protection all season; choose the earliest varieties you can find.
How Kirkwood compares
- Nearby Carson City, NV, 58 km away, has a regular frost season (last frost May 4), a reminder of how much elevation and distance from the coast matter.
About these dates
Based on 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals for the South Lake Tahoe Ap, CA weather station, 24 km away (elevation 6,316 ft (1,925 m)).
Frost dates near Kirkwood
- Kit Carson frost any month
- Twin Bridges frost any month
- Echo Lake frost any month
- Kyburz Apr 26 · Nov 2
- Markleeville frost any month
- South Lake Tahoe frost any month
- Grizzly Flats Apr 26 · Nov 2
- Pollock Pines Apr 26 · Nov 2
- Tahoma Jun 4 · Oct 3
- Homewood Jun 4 · Oct 3
Frequently asked questions
When is the last frost in Kirkwood, CA?
Kirkwood, CA can freeze in any month, so there is no reliable last frost date. The nearest NOAA station averages 222 nights a year at or below 32°F.
What can I grow in Kirkwood, CA?
Fast, cold-tolerant crops such as radishes, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas and potatoes, ideally under row covers, cold frames or a greenhouse. Frost-tender crops like tomatoes need protection all season.