Your seasonal context
Understand the place before the date.
The 90242 area uses a representative location near 33.922°, -118.139°. In the nearby historical climate grid, August is the warmest month on average (23.9°C), while December is the coolest (11.8°C). February has the highest mean daily precipitation (2.67 mm).
No monthly mean in this grid is below freezing. Individual cold nights can still occur; this does not establish a frost-free season. Leaf lettuce tolerate some cold, but variety, plant age and exposure still matter. A monthly average cannot identify a safe planting day.
Light at your latitude
At 33.922° N, the length of the day changes independently of temperature. Compare the middle of three seasons when planning your garden.
Geometric daylight estimate from latitude and solar declination, rounded to 0.1 hour. This is time above a flat horizon, excluding atmospheric refraction, hills, buildings and cloud cover. It is not the direct-sun exposure of your bed. About solar-position calculations.
| Month | Mean air temperature | Mean precipitation / day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 12.0°C (54°F) | 2.35 mm |
| February | 12.2°C (54°F) | 2.67 mm |
| March | 13.8°C (57°F) | 1.35 mm |
| April | 15.1°C (59°F) | 0.63 mm |
| May | 17.5°C (64°F) | 0.28 mm |
| June | 20.4°C (69°F) | 0.02 mm |
| July | 23.4°C (74°F) | 0.07 mm |
| August | 23.9°C (75°F) | 0.03 mm |
| September | 23.0°C (73°F) | 0.11 mm |
| October | 19.5°C (67°F) | 0.54 mm |
| November | 15.5°C (60°F) | 0.84 mm |
| December | 11.8°C (53°F) | 2.10 mm |
NASA POWER regional grid, 0.5° latitude × 0.625° longitude. Grid center 34.000°, -118.125°. Monthly mean air temperature is neither a nightly low nor soil temperature. Rainfall averages do not set a watering schedule. Open the climate source.
Compare nearby places
Leaf lettuce around 90242
Explore the closest listed postal areas by straight-line distance between their representative coordinates. A nearby garden may still have different soil, shelter or elevation.
| Postal area | Distance | Jan | Jul |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downey90242 · this area | — | 12.0°C | 23.4°C |
| DowneyCA 90239 | 2.1 km | 12.0°C | 23.4°C |
| DowneyCA 90241 | 2.3 km | 12.0°C | 23.4°C |
| ParamountCA 90723 | 3.5 km | 12.0°C | 23.4°C |
| BellflowerCA 90706 | 4.1 km | 12.0°C | 23.4°C |
| DowneyCA 90240 | 4.5 km | 12.0°C | 23.4°C |
| BellflowerCA 90707 | 4.9 km | 12.0°C | 23.4°C |
Distances use GeoNames representative postal coordinates, which may be estimated; they are not driving distances. Nearby areas often share one NASA POWER grid cell, so identical climate values are expected. Differences shown here describe the climate grids, not a measured difference between individual gardens.
The growing checklist
Give leaf lettuce a considered start.
Sow a manageable amount and label the variety. Record what germinates well in your own garden so the next small sowing can be based on experience.
- Choose a variety suited to your available space and compare its days to maturity with local seasonal guidance.
- Prepare the seedbed and follow the packet depth and spacing.
- Check the variety’s temperature guidance. Cold tolerance does not mean every seedling survives a freeze.
- Inspect soil moisture and drainage in the actual bed. Regional rainfall averages cannot tell you whether roots need water today.
Read University of Minnesota Extension vegetable guidance. Its crop-care principles are useful here; its Minnesota planting dates are not applied to California.
One small next step
Make a date to check your garden.
Choose your own reminder date after checking local advice. This is a personal planning prompt, not a calculated planting recommendation.
An .ics file works with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and Outlook. Your chosen date stays in your browser until you download it.
What this postal area includes
Downey.
A ZIP area is a postal geography, not a neighborhood or municipal boundary. Place names may include multiple communities. The representative coordinates may be estimated. Nearby gardens can differ in elevation, shelter, slope and soil.
