What Grows in Woodcrest, California

USDA Zones 9b · 7K acres

Woodcrest, California, sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

A short list that earns its place here — okra, meyer lemon, california poppy, and artichoke — with any one site's soil, sun, and drainage making the final cut.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Woodcrest, 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 Woodcrest 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 Woodcrest — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Woodcrest — the short answer

Woodcrest, California: USDA zone 9b, about 303 days between hard freezes, across 7K acres of town.

USDA zone
9b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 13
Riverside County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 13
Riverside County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~303
Riverside County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
7K 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 Riverside County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

9b9b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 9b is Woodcrest's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Woodcrest's 303-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Woodcrest

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

Season length

From county records

Woodcrest runs about 303 days between hard freezes (read from Riverside County, the closest normal to Woodcrest) — 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

Woodcrest sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b.

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 Woodcrest is in

Woodcrest sits in the Southern California/Northern Baja Coast — EPA Level III, inside the wider Mediterranean California. That is read at Woodcrest's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Riverside County is mostly Sonoran Basin and Range. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Woodcrest

Every plant below cleared Woodcrest's own zone 9b and its 303-day season. Each card opens that plant's California profile. How we score.

okra, photograph
Growing okra in CaliforniaZones 2–12Woodcrest's 303 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Meyer lemon, photograph
California meyer lemon guideZones 9–11Woodcrest's 9b is its exact cold limit.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in CaliforniaZones 6–10Woodcrest's 9b — 3 zones of cold margin.
artichoke, photograph
Artichoke: California growing notesZones 7–11Woodcrest's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Growing avocado in CaliforniaZones 9–11Woodcrest's 9b is its exact cold limit.
rosemary, photograph
California rosemary guideZones 8–10Woodcrest's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage in CaliforniaZones 2–11Woodcrest's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
banana, photograph
Banana: California growing notesZones 9–11Woodcrest's 9b is its exact cold limit.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in CaliforniaWoodcrest's 303 days clear the ~90 it needs.
collard greens, photograph
California collard greens guideZones 2–11Woodcrest's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Kale in CaliforniaZones 2–11Woodcrest's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: California growing notesZones 2–11Woodcrest's 303 days clear the ~70 it needs.
potato, photograph
Growing potato in CaliforniaZones 2–11Woodcrest's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
California pumpkin guideZones 3–11Woodcrest's 303 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in CaliforniaZones 2–11Woodcrest's 303 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: California growing notesZones 3–10Woodcrest's 9b — 6 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in CaliforniaZones 2–11Woodcrest's 303 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
California apache plume guideZones 5–11Woodcrest's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in CaliforniaZones 7–11Woodcrest's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
agave, photograph
Agave: California growing notesZones 8–11Woodcrest's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in CaliforniaWoodcrest's 303 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
California holly guideZones 5–11Woodcrest's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in CaliforniaZones 7–10Woodcrest's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: California growing notesZones 5–11Woodcrest's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
palo verde, photograph
Growing palo verde in CaliforniaZones 8–11Woodcrest's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
jungle rice, photograph
California jungle rice guideZones 7–13Woodcrest's 303 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in CaliforniaZones 5–11Woodcrest's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: California growing notesZones 5–11Woodcrest's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
lablab, photograph
Growing lablab in CaliforniaZones 7–13Woodcrest's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
liriope, photograph
California liriope guideZones 5–11Woodcrest's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Woodcrest?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 16; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 13 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 13 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. With almost year-round growing weather, timing is about heat and rainfall more than frost — some bench is always in play.

What's on the federal record near Woodcrest

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

  1. KRAMERIA LLCBrownfields · 400 ft
  2. KRAMERIA LLCToxics Release Inventory · 400 ft
  3. YAZEN INC DBA KING CHEVRONBrownfields · 1300 ft
  4. AT&T California - LB469Underground Storage Tanks · 1300 ft
  5. PACIFIC BELLBrownfields · 1300 ft
  6. King ChevronUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  7. 7-ELEVEN INC #16552Underground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  8. RITE AID #5713Brownfields · 1800 ft
  9. J & C CLEANERSBrownfields · 1900 ft
  10. STATER BROS MARKETS #80Brownfields · 1900 ft
  11. DOLLAR TREE #07451Brownfields · 0.6 mi
  12. HASTINGS BROKERAGE LTDBrownfields · 0.7 mi

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

Measured from Woodcrest'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 Woodcrest.

Total Sites

3,131

within ~10 miles of Woodcrest

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

15 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Woodcrest

High6Moderate376Low2,749

Highest-Severity Sites

Alark Hard Chrome
Superfund · Superfund NPL
March Air Force Base
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Mountain Group Deposit
Mining Sites · Past Producer
Perris, City of
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Riverside Highland Water Company
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Woodcrest, Brownfields runs higher than the national average — 2,748 sites within ~10 miles of Woodcrest. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Brownfields: Brownfield sites are former commercial or industrial properties where legacy soil contamination (heavy metals, PAHs, petroleum compounds) may persist.

Check EPA brownfield remediation status — many sites have completed cleanup with institutional controls.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Woodcrest

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 Woodcrest average

Your land is one point inside Woodcrest

Everything above resolves to Woodcrest as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 7K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Riverside 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 Woodcrest Average

Woodcrest Average

  • USDA Zones 9b, averaged across Woodcrest
  • One soil character for all of Woodcrest
  • Frost dates read at Woodcrest's scale: Feb 13 to Dec 13

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Woodcrest

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Woodcrest averages 303Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Woodcrest

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 Riverside 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 Woodcrest

When does frost risk typically end in Woodcrest?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Woodcrest typically lands around Feb 13, 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 6.

When is the first frost in Woodcrest?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Woodcrest typically arrives around Dec 13, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 29, so the watching starts about Nov 13 — about 303 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Woodcrest?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Woodcrest sees about 303 frost-free days — roughly Feb 13 through Dec 13, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 6 to Nov 29, about 268 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Woodcrest?

The federal record around Woodcrest is a meaningful one — 3,131 documented sites, mostly Brownfields entries (2,748), the nearest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Woodcrest?

From about Nov 13 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 13 (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 13. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Woodcrest's scale — its 9b band and its 303-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Woodcrest'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 Woodcrest’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Woodcrest's own scale — the 7,299 acres it covers and 3,131 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Woodcrest's own USDA hardiness band, zones 9bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 3,131 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Woodcrest, the closest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Woodcrest's boundary and the 7,299 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 9b and a ~303-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Woodcrest sits in the Southern California/Northern Baja Coast — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Woodcrest has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Riverside County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Woodcrest's 7,299 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Riverside County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Riverside 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 Riverside County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Woodcrest's 7,299 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Woodcrest you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 7,299 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile 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 Woodcrest-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address