What Grows in Wilseyville, California

USDA Zones 9a · 5K acres

Wilseyville, California, sits in USDA hardiness zone 9a — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

The conditions favor artichoke, fig, california poppy, and cabbage, among others — though every individual site edits that list with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Wilseyville, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Wilseyville lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Wilseyville — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Wilseyville — the short answer

Wilseyville, California: USDA zone 9a, about 288 days between hard freezes, across 5K acres of town.

USDA zone
9a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 21
Calaveras County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 6
Calaveras County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~288
Calaveras County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
5K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are Calaveras County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

9a9a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 9a is Wilseyville's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Wilseyville's 288-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Wilseyville

Each reading below is measured for Wilseyville itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

From county records

Wilseyville runs about 288 days between hard freezes (read from Calaveras County, the closest normal to Wilseyville) — close to year-round growing.

Frost is rarely the limit here; winter plantings are as real as summer ones, and the harder question is which crops shrug off the summer heat.

Grow cool-season crops through the mild winter, and choose heat-tolerant varieties for the summer beds.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Wilseyville sits in USDA hardiness zone 9a.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Wilseyville is in

Wilseyville sits in the Sierra Nevada — EPA Level III, inside the wider Northwestern Forested Mountains. That is read at Wilseyville's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Calaveras County is mostly Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Wilseyville

Every plant below cleared Wilseyville's own zone 9a and its 288-day season. Each card opens that plant's California profile. How we score.

artichoke, photograph
Growing artichoke in CaliforniaZones 7–11Wilseyville's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
California fig guideZones 6–10Wilseyville's 9a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in CaliforniaZones 6–10Wilseyville's 9a — 3 zones of cold margin.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage: California growing notesZones 2–11Wilseyville's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
Meyer lemon, photograph
Growing meyer lemon in CaliforniaZones 9–11Wilseyville's 9a is its exact cold limit.
rosemary, photograph
California rosemary guideZones 8–10Wilseyville's 9a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens in CaliforniaZones 2–11Wilseyville's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Avocado: California growing notesZones 9–11Wilseyville's 9a is its exact cold limit.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in CaliforniaWilseyville's 288 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
California kale guideZones 2–11Wilseyville's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil in CaliforniaZones 2–11Wilseyville's 288 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Okra: California growing notesZones 2–12Wilseyville's 288 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Growing potato in CaliforniaZones 2–11Wilseyville's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
California pumpkin guideZones 3–11Wilseyville's 288 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in CaliforniaZones 2–11Wilseyville's 288 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: California growing notesZones 3–10Wilseyville's 9a — 6 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in CaliforniaZones 2–11Wilseyville's 288 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
California apache plume guideZones 5–11Wilseyville's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in CaliforniaZones 7–11Wilseyville's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
barrel cactus, photograph
Barrel cactus: California growing notesZones 5–11Wilseyville's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in CaliforniaWilseyville's 288 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
California holly guideZones 5–11Wilseyville's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in CaliforniaZones 7–10Wilseyville's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: California growing notesZones 5–11Wilseyville's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in CaliforniaZones 5–11Wilseyville's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
crab grass, photograph
California crab grass guideZones 7–11Wilseyville's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in CaliforniaZones 5–11Wilseyville's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: California growing notesZones 4–10Wilseyville's 9a — 5 zones of cold margin.
feather top Rhodes grass, photograph
Growing feather top rhodes grass in CaliforniaZones 7–11Wilseyville's 288 days clear the ~90 it needs.
liriope, photograph
California liriope guideZones 5–11Wilseyville's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Wilseyville?

Too late for some crops, right on time for others — a growing season is a sequence, not a deadline. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 24; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 21 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 6 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the calendar nearly circles: cool-season crops take the winter shift, and the next window is always close.

What's on the federal record near Wilseyville

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Wilseyville. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. 006N014E18L001MNitrate · 0.7 mi
  2. Gold StarMining · 0.8 mi
  3. Marquis MineMining · 1.0 mi
  4. Forest CreekMining · 1.0 mi
  5. 006N014E06N001MNitrate · 1.5 mi
  6. Little Gulch, Opal and Red Wonder ClaimsMining · 1.7 mi
  7. WILSEYVILLE TRANSFER STATIONBrownfields · 1.8 mi
  8. Blazing StarMining · 2.1 mi
  9. Golden StormMining · 2.1 mi
  10. CAL TRANSBrownfields · 2.5 mi
  11. CALAVERAS COUNTY DPWBrownfields · 2.7 mi
  12. 006N013E15D001MNitrate · 2.8 mi

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Wilseyville's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Wilseyville.

Total Sites

118

within ~10 miles of Wilseyville

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

2 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Wilseyville

High32Moderate42Low44

Highest-Severity Sites

Black Wonder Mine
Mining Sites · Past Producer
Blackstone
Mining Sites · Past Producer
Blizzard Mine
Mining Sites · Past Producer
Bright Star
Mining Sites · Past Producer
Centennial
Mining Sites · Past Producer

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Wilseyville, Mining runs higher than the national average — 51 sites within ~10 miles of Wilseyville. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

Mining: Mining sites — both historic and active — can leach heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury) into soil and water for centuries after operations cease.

Test soil for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) — this is essential near any mining site.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Wilseyville

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Wilseyville average

Your land is one point inside Wilseyville

Everything above resolves to Wilseyville as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 5K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Calaveras County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at town scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Wilseyville Average

Wilseyville Average

  • USDA Zones 9a, averaged across Wilseyville
  • One soil character for all of Wilseyville
  • Frost dates read at Wilseyville's scale: Feb 21 to Dec 6

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Wilseyville's 9a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Wilseyville

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Wilseyville, California — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Wilseyville averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Wilseyville averages 288Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Wilseyville — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Wilseyville average

How we know this about Wilseyville

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Calaveras County’s record, because none resolves here; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Wilseyville

When does frost risk typically end in Wilseyville?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Wilseyville typically lands around Feb 21, 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 Mar 14.

When is the first frost in Wilseyville?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Wilseyville typically arrives around Dec 6, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 22, so the watching starts about Nov 6 — about 288 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Wilseyville?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Wilseyville sees about 288 frost-free days — roughly Feb 21 through Dec 6, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 14 to Nov 22, about 253 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Wilseyville?

The federal record around Wilseyville runs heavier than most — 118 documented sites, mostly Mining entries (51), the nearest Nitrate record about 0.7 miles out — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Wilseyville?

From about Nov 6 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 Dec 6 (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 Dec 6. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Wilseyville's scale — its 9a band and its 288-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Wilseyville's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Wilseyville’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Wilseyville's own scale — the 4,954 acres it covers and 118 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Wilseyville's own USDA hardiness band, zones 9aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 118 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Wilseyville, the closest Nitrate record about 0.7 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Wilseyville's boundary and the 4,954 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 9a and a ~288-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Wilseyville sits in the Sierra Nevada — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Wilseyville has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Calaveras County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Wilseyville's 4,954 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Calaveras County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Calaveras County
  • The growing challenges every California grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom California
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Calaveras County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Wilseyville's 4,954 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Wilseyville you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 4,954 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Nitrate record about 0.7 miles out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Wilseyville-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address