Generally — Most Areas
African foxtail (zones 8-13) suits most of California (4b-11a) — zones 8-11 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
African Foxtail in California — the short answer
African Foxtail in California: hardy in zones 8–13, full sun, against a state median of ~317 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 8-13
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- California zones
- 4b-11a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Jan 19 - Mar 19 – Nov 29 - Dec 12
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 108 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
California spans zones 4b-11a, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score african foxtail against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
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California is not one climate
A single California answer averages 57 counties whose growing seasons are 257 days apart — from 108 frost-free days in Mono County to 365 in Ventura County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what african foxtail can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 57 counties runs 278–331 days, with a median of 317 days — a 257-day span end to end.
Measured across 57 California counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in California Fits Best
African Foxtail is rated for zones 8–13 — a cold floor USDA puts at 10 to 20°F. Against California’s 58 counties that band holds in 52 of them, and the line runs at Siskiyou County (zone 8a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 8–13
52 counties
- Trinity County · zone 8a
- Tuolumne County · zone 8a
- Inyo County · zone 8b
3 of 52 shown
Below the zone 8 floor
6 counties
- Mono County · zone 6a
- Alpine County · zone 6b
- Lassen County · zone 7a
3 of 6 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Even within California's zones 4b-11a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for african foxtail (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
African Foxtail Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-13
- Frost-Free Days: 120+
- Sun: Full Sun
California Has
- USDA Zones: 4b-11a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Jan 19 - Mar 19
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 29 - Dec 12
- Annual Rainfall: 5-80 inches
- Common Soils: Alluvial clay, Sandy loam, Adobe clay
Plant Zone Range (zones 8-13)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant African Foxtail in California
The frost window
Across California, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 19 and Mar 19, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 29 and Dec 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 255-day window you can count on — up to 327 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
When to start the seed
African Foxtail is direct-sown where it grows rather than started under cover, so there is no seed-tray head start to bank — California's dates above are the whole calendar for it. That makes the last-freeze date the binding constraint, and a warmer pocket of your own yard is worth more to this crop than it is to a transplanted one.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Mono County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says african foxtail survives winter in part of California, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
African Foxtail wants 120+ frost-free days; a typical California site sees ~317 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
African Foxtail tolerates a wide pH range (pH 5.5-8.5) — 3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in California. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6.5 and 8 — worth knowing before you decide whether a California soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells), excessive (dry/moderately dry). If your California site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
California's soils run mostly loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. African Foxtail needs about 59 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how african foxtail performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. California soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for African Foxtail in California
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but California growers also need to think about:
Drought is a persistent challenge — irrigation is essential in most regions
Wildfire risk affects rural and foothill properties
Adobe clay soils in valleys drain poorly without amendment
Wide climate variation means plant selection is highly location-specific
Growing african foxtail here specifically
African Foxtail's deep root system wants open ground, yet a large share of California is SSURGO group-D soil — dense and slow-draining enough to stall it.
Double-dig or broadfork african foxtail's bed to open the restrictive layer so roots can run. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every California grower, not just african foxtail — is covered on the California growing guide.
Timing shifts within California
California isn't one climate. In Mono County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Jun 4 — roughly 120 days later than the recorded state median — so plant african foxtail to your county's window, not the statewide date.
African Foxtail needs about 120 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 56 of California’s 57 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Alpine County at 122 frost-free days — 2 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
Across California’s 57 counties the frost-free season runs from 108 days in Mono County to 365 days in Ventura County — a spread of 257 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median California county sees 317 frost-free days, leaving african foxtail about 197 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). African Foxtail's 120-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
California Cooperative Extension
For California-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for african foxtail, the canonical source is UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing African Foxtail in California
When can I plant African Foxtail in California?
California's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 19 and Mar 19, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 29 and Dec 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Time outdoor planting to after the last hard freeze for your specific site — a further two to three weeks for anything tender — and count back from those dates for transplant scheduling.
What hardiness zone is African Foxtail grown in across California?
California spans USDA hardiness zones 4b-11a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). African Foxtail carries a range of zones 8-13, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical California site have?
A typical California site sees ~317 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). African Foxtail needs 120+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Mono, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
How should I amend the soil for African Foxtail in California?
African Foxtail tolerates pH 5.5-8.5 and well (dry spells), excessive (dry/moderately dry) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a California site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will African Foxtail actually grow on my specific land in California?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores african foxtail against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in California
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores african foxtail against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that California african foxtail averages can't show:
We read public map data around California — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the California african foxtail average
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Growing guides for african foxtail
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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