What Grows in Kennedy Meadows, California

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Kennedy Meadows typically lands around Apr 28, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about May 19.

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Kennedy Meadows typically arrives around Nov 8, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 25, so the watching starts about Oct 9 — about 194 days after the spring freeze cleared.

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Kennedy Meadows sees about 194 frost-free days — roughly Apr 28 through Nov 8, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 19 to Oct 25, about 159 days.

The federal record around Kennedy Meadows is light — 6 documented sites across the 9 federal source types we checked, mostly Nitrate entries (4), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out — and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. Growing food here starts from a strong position; a soil test before new food beds settles any site-specific question.

From about Oct 9 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Nov 8 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Nov 8. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.