When to plant daffodil bulbs in California

Fall planting in San Jose

Oct 15–Nov 30

Across California the window opens between December 12 and October 18. Find your city below; the dates follow each town's own average first fall frost.

Fall planting, San Jose: Oct 15–Nov 30
Last frost, San Jose: Jan 2

Plant from 4 weeks before to 2 weeks after the first fall frost. Daffodils root best when they go in a few weeks before the ground freezes. Deer and rodents leave them alone.

Daffodil bulbs planting dates by city

Start indoorsPlant outSow outdoorsFall plantingAverage last and first frost

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

San JoseOct 15–Nov 30

FresnoOct 15–Nov 30

SacramentoOct 15–Nov 30

BakersfieldOct 15–Nov 30

StocktonOct 15–Nov 30

RiversideOct 15–Nov 30

IrvineOct 15–Nov 30

FremontOct 15–Nov 30

San BernardinoOct 15–Nov 30

FontanaOct 15–Nov 30

ModestoOct 15–Nov 30

Moreno ValleyOct 15–Nov 30

GlendaleOct 15–Nov 30

OntarioOct 15–Nov 30

Elk GroveOct 15–Nov 30

Santa RosaOct 15–Nov 30

Rancho CucamongaOct 15–Nov 30

OceansideOct 15–Nov 30

LancasterOct 4–Nov 15

RosevilleOct 15–Nov 30

PalmdaleOct 15–Nov 30

CoronaOct 15–Nov 30

SalinasOct 15–Nov 30

HaywardOct 15–Nov 30

SunnyvaleOct 15–Nov 30

PomonaOct 15–Nov 30

VisaliaOct 15–Nov 30

EscondidoOct 15–Nov 30

VictorvilleOct 14–Nov 25

PasadenaOct 15–Nov 30

All 274 cities

City	Fall planting	Last frost
San Jose	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
Fresno	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 14
Sacramento	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Bakersfield	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Stockton	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 5
Riverside	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 9
Irvine	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 5
Fremont	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 1
San Bernardino	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 27
Fontana	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Modesto	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Moreno Valley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 27
Glendale	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
Ontario	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Elk Grove	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 2
Santa Rosa	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 25
Rancho Cucamonga	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Oceanside	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 23
Lancaster	Oct 4 to Nov 15	Apr 3
Roseville	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 22
Palmdale	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 10
Corona	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
Salinas	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 29
Hayward	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
Sunnyvale	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Pomona	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Visalia	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 23
Escondido	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
Victorville	Oct 14 to Nov 25	Mar 18
Pasadena	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Santa Clara	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Clovis	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 14
Simi Valley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 24
Vallejo	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
Concord	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 9
Fairfield	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 15
Thousand Oaks	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 31
Berkeley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 3
Antioch	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Menifee	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 28
Temecula	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 2
Richmond	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Murrieta	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 2
Santa Maria	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 4
Jurupa Valley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 9
Rialto	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 10
West Covina	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Chico	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 4
El Monte	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Vacaville	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 18
San Mateo	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 29
Burbank	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
Hesperia	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 28
Tracy	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 25
El Cajon	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Daly City	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 30
Merced	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 3
Vista	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 30
Chino	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
Manteca	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 6
Arden-Arcade	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
San Marcos	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
Indio	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 31
Redding	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 3
Hemet	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Folsom	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Carson	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 9
Mission Viejo	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Rancho Cordova	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Santa Barbara	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 13
Citrus Heights	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
San Ramon	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 8
Mountain View	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
San Leandro	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 7
Livermore	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 15
Perris	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 28
Redwood City	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
Alhambra	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Upland	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Milpitas	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Carmichael	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Pittsburg	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Chino Hills	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
Alameda	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 7
Rocklin	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 25
Napa	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 12
Apple Valley	Oct 14 to Nov 25	Mar 18
Lake Elsinore	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 28
Pleasanton	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 15
Redlands	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 27
Tulare	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 23
Turlock	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Dublin	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 15
Eastvale	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
Walnut Creek	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 7
Yuba City	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 15
Lodi	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 9
Madera	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 12
Baldwin Park	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Camarillo	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 31
Palo Alto	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 1
Brentwood	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Davis	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 10
Castro Valley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
Union City	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 7
South San Francisco	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 29
Laguna Niguel	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Porterville	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 20
Woodland	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 7
Hanford	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 7
San Clemente	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Santa Cruz	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 29
Beaumont	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Gilroy	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 24
Montebello	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
La Mesa	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Petaluma	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 28
San Rafael	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 11
Pico Rivera	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Cupertino	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Santee	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Highland	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 27
Monterey Park	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Lincoln	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 25
West Sacramento	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 2
San Jacinto	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Yucaipa	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 27
Arcadia	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Colton	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 10
Palm Desert	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 31
Cathedral City	Dec 12 to Jan 23	Jan 9
Delano	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Novato	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 11
Diamond Bar	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Watsonville	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 28
San Luis Obispo	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
El Dorado Hills	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 31
Aliso Viejo	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Glendora	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Los Banos	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 26
Florin	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Rosemead	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Covina	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Poway	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 5
Antelope	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Ceres	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
North Highlands	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Newark	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 1
Oakley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Azusa	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Hollister	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 19
Morgan Hill	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 24
Coachella	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 31
Palm Springs	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 1
Rohnert Park	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 25
El Centro	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 3
Lompoc	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 20
Danville	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 8
Lathrop	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 6
Vineyard	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
French Valley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 2
Campbell	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 2
San Bruno	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 11
Altadena	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Rancho Palos Verdes	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 9
La Quinta	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 31
Adelanto	Oct 14 to Nov 25	Mar 18
Calexico	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 3
Monrovia	Oct 18 to Nov 29	Apr 28
San Gabriel	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Wildomar	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 28
Montclair	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Foothill Farms	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Pacifica	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 11
Martinez	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 28
La Puente	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Claremont	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Orangevale	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Temple City	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
San Juan Capistrano	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Moorpark	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 31
Oildale	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Pleasant Hill	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 7
Desert Hot Springs	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 25
San Dimas	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Menlo Park	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 1
Los Gatos	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 2
Fallbrook	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 2
Foster City	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
Goleta	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 11
Dana Point	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Spring Valley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Atwater	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 3
Fair Oaks	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Burlingame	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 29
Banning	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Santa Paula	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 31
San Pablo	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Seaside	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
El Paso de Robles	Oct 13 to Nov 24	Mar 15
Orcutt	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 4
Los Altos	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Saratoga	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 2
La Verne	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Laguna Hills	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Atascadero	Oct 13 to Nov 24	Mar 15
Suisun City	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 15
San Lorenzo	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
Eastern Goleta Valley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 11
San Carlos	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
Monterey	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 1
East Palo Alto	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 1
Belmont	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
East Niles	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Temescal Valley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 28
Ridgecrest	Oct 15 to Nov 26	Mar 11
Brawley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 16
Walnut	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Lemoore	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 24
Sanger	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 30
Reedley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 30
Galt	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 9
Patterson	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Riverbank	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Wasco	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Benicia	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
Soledad	Oct 6 to Nov 17	Apr 23
Hercules	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
El Cerrito	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 3
Dinuba	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 23
Twentynine Palms	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 24
Windsor	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 2
South Pasadena	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
West Whittier-Los Nietos	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Mountain House	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 19
Lafayette	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 7
Eureka	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 22
Loma Linda	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 27
Norco	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 17
Barstow	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 22
Selma	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 30
Bloomington	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 10
Bay Point	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 9
Shafter	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 20
Ladera Ranch	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
East San Gabriel	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
San Fernando	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
Rosemont	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 12
Marina	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 4
Oakdale	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 31
Linda	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 11
Millbrae	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Dec 29
Duarte	Oct 18 to Nov 29	Apr 28
Ramona	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 19
Ashland	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 2
American Canyon	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 5
Laguna Beach	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Corcoran	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 15
Imperial	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 14
Rancho San Diego	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
West Puente Valley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 4
Calabasas	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 24
Winter Gardens	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
West Carson	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 9
Yucca Valley	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Mar 14
Lakeside	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 6
Valinda	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Granite Bay	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 25
Stevenson Ranch	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 8
Greenfield	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 23
Dixon	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Feb 10
Rosamond	Oct 4 to Nov 15	Apr 3
Oroville	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 30
East Hemet	Oct 15 to Nov 30	Jan 10

Questions

When should I plant daffodil bulbs in California?

In San Jose, fall planting from October 15 to November 30. Across California the window opens between December 12 and October 18, depending on the local last frost.

How is this date worked out?

Plant from 4 weeks before to 2 weeks after the first fall frost. Frost dates are NOAA 1991–2020 averages for the weather station nearest each city.