What planting zone is Richmond, CA?

Richmond is in USDA plant hardiness zone 10a (average annual extreme minimum temperature 30 to 35°F), from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

What is the weather like in Richmond?

In Richmond, CA the warmest month is September (avg high 74.7°F) and the coldest is January (avg low 44.1°F). It averages about 24.4″ of precipitation a year.

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Richmond, CA Planting Calendar & Frost Dates

USDA hardiness zone 10a · ZIP 94804 · elevation 6′ · NOAA & USDA data

Richmond sits in USDA zone 10a and is effectively frost-free — you can grow something outdoors year-round. The warmest month is September (avg high 74.7°F) and the coolest is January (avg low 44.1°F). Time plantings by the hot vs. cool season rather than by frost: grow heat-loving crops through the warm months and cool-season greens in the mild winter. The wettest month is December (4.9″).

Hardiness zone

10a

min temp 30 to 35°F

Frost

Frost-free

grow year-round

Warmest month

September

avg high 74.7°F

Month-by-month typical weather in Richmond

Average conditions from the NOAA/NCEI 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals at Richmond, CA (2.2 mi away). Temperatures °F, precipitation & snow in inches.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Mean	Precip (in)
January	58.2	44.1	51.1	4.8
February	61.3	45.9	53.6	4.8
March	64.1	47.4	55.8	3.2
April	67.2	49.3	58.2	1.6
May	69	52	60.5	0.7
June	71.9	54.1	63	0.3
July	70.8	55.2	63	0
August	72.2	55.9	64	0.1
September	74.7	56.2	65.4	0
October	72.8	53.7	63.3	1.4
November	64.8	48.7	56.7	2.7
December	58.2	44.4	51.3	4.9

What to plant when in Richmond

Richmond is frost-free, so there's no last-frost date to time from. Grow cool-season crops (lettuce, peas, broccoli, carrots) in the cooler months and warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash) through the warm season.

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Gear that helps you plant on time

Some links below are Amazon affiliate links (tag theboringthin-20). If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it keeps this almanac free. We only list generic, genuinely-useful categories.

Soil thermometer →Know when the ground is warm enough to sow — the honest signal, not the calendar.Seed-starting trays + dome →Start tomatoes & peppers indoors on the schedule below.Seedling heat mat →Warms the soil for faster, more even germination indoors.Floating row cover / frost cloth →Buys you 4–8°F to beat an early or late frost.Raised garden bed kit →Warms and drains faster in spring than in-ground soil.Garden gloves →Basic kit for transplant day.

Nearby cities in California

Berkeley, CA Alameda, CA Oakland, CA Martinez, CA San Francisco, CA Vallejo, CA San Rafael, CA Walnut Creek, CA

Sources & method. Hardiness zone: 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University). Frost dates & growing season: NOAA/NCEI 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, nearest station with published freeze normals — Richmond, CA, 2.2 mi (confidence: high). Monthly weather normals: Richmond, CA, 2.2 mi (confidence: high). ZIP centroid from U.S. Census 2023 ZCTA data. Frost dates are the 50%-probability date — half of years frost occurs outside the stated date. Nothing here is invented; where the nearest station is far, we say so. Last updated 2026-07-22.