Regional guide

Butte County Foothill Planting Guide

UC Master Gardeners Butte County foothill vegetable guide for elevation-adjusted frost timing and crop-row planning.

Climate signals

• The PDF title is Foothill Planting Guide for Vegetables.
• Planting and harvest dates in the chart are guidelines only; Microclimates vary as do annual weather patterns.
• Planting and harvest dates are for a typical garden at 2000 ft, with planting dates adjusted by about one week for each 1000 ft above or below 2000 ft, earlier for lower elevations and later for higher.
• Useful last frost dates in the guide are 1000 ft April 15, 2000 ft April 22, 3000 ft April 30, and 4000 ft May 7.
• January-March seeds require cold frame in most areas.
• The chart was originally developed for the Sacramento area by Dr. Robert F. Norris of University of California at Davis, adapted to foothill areas by UCCE Master Gardeners of El Dorado County, and modified for the Butte County foothill environment by UCCE Butte County Master Gardeners.

Planning notes

• Use the elevation adjustment before copying the typical 2000 ft timing to another foothill site.
• Summer/Fall Vegetables row labels include brussels sprout, rutabaga, savoy cabbage, red cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, turnips, radish, spinach, peas, fava beans, onions, and garlic.
• Winter/Spring Vegetables row labels include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, beets, carrots, shallots and onions, radish, chard, peppers and eggplant, potatoes, corn, snap beans, zucchini, cucumber, cantaloupe, watermelon, and pumpkin.
• Use cold frames or greenhouse protection for January through March seed starts where the guide calls for it.
• Use these priority catalog links as crop-row examples, not UC cultivar recommendations.

Catalog crop examples

These catalog entries match crops covered by the regional timing source; variety-specific details remain tied to each seed entry's own source.

• Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts Vegetable · Cool · 100 days
• American Purple Top Rutabaga Vegetable · Cool · 90 days
• Golden Acre Cabbage Vegetable · Cool · 64 days
• Waltham 29 Broccoli Vegetable · Cool · 74 days
• Snowball Y Cauliflower Vegetable · Cool · 70 days
• Danvers 126 Carrot Vegetable · Shoulder · 70 days
• Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
• Purple Top White Globe Turnip Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
• French Breakfast Radish Vegetable · Cool · 28 days
• Bloomsdale Spinach Vegetable · Cool · 42 days
• Sugar Snap Pea Vegetable · Cool · 62 days
• Evergreen Bunching Onion Vegetable · Shoulder · 65 days
• Roma Tomato Vegetable · Warm · 76 days
• Detroit Dark Red Beet Vegetable · Cool · 58 days
• Bright Lights Swiss Chard Vegetable · Shoulder · 55 days
• California Wonder Pepper Vegetable · Warm · 72 days
• Black Beauty Eggplant Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
• Golden Bantam Sweet Corn Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
• Provider Bush Bean Vegetable · Warm · 50 days
• Hale's Best Jumbo Melon Vegetable · Warm · 85 days
• Sugar Baby Watermelon Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
• Small Sugar Pumpkin Vegetable · Warm · 100 days

Related regional guides

• California Interior Valley Vegetable Planting Guide UC Master Gardener guide for Sacramento and San Joaquin Interior Valley timing, temperature bands, frost checks, and crop rows.
• Placer County Elevation-Frost Vegetable Planting Guide UC Placer County guide for elevation-adjusted frost dates, warm/cool crop windows, and crop-row examples.
• Tulare/Kings San Joaquin Valley Vegetable Guide UC Master Gardener Tulare/Kings guide for San Joaquin Valley vegetable rows, protected starts, fall pest pressure, and crop examples.
• Sacramento Area Vegetable Planting Schedule UC Master Gardeners Sacramento guide for EHN 11 month-grid seed, transplant, and protected-start vegetable timing.
• Yolo County Spring Warm-Season Vegetable Guide UC ANR Savvy Sage guide for Yolo County April warm-season transition rows, soil-warmth cautions, and crop-row examples.
• Shasta County Valley Monthly Planting Guide UC ANR monthly guide for Shasta County valley areas covering protected starts, direct outside seed rows, and starter-plant timing.

Source: UC Master Gardeners of Butte County Foothill Planting Guide