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Zone 11A Vegetable Planting Calendar

When can you plant in Zone 11A? In Zone 11A, outdoor sowing opens with cool-season crops like Lettuce and Spinach in January, and warm-season crops like Tomato carry the summer. With little to no frost, Zone 11A grows nearly year-round — summer heat is the real gate. The calendar below scores all 35 crops month by month.

Scored per crop from your zone's frost dates, each crop's days-to-maturity, and typical soil temperatures — honestly, including when not to plant.

A zone caveat: USDA zones reflect winter lows, not summer heat — this calendar is a zone-level guide. For timing tuned to your ZIP region, sun, and soil, get your free AI garden plan.

Last frost

~rare / none

First frost

~rare / none

Zone 11A Month by Month

The same verdicts as the grid, read as a to-do list. Temperatures are the zone-level model this calendar scores against — your bed's soil thermometer overrules them.

1. January soil ~64°F · highs ~62°F · 31 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Onion, Potato, and Parsley. Risky: Garlic (shoulder of the garlic window).
2. February soil ~65°F · highs ~65°F · 28 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Arugula, and Carrot and 6 more. Risky: Parsley (last sowing before the window closes).
3. March soil ~67°F · highs ~73°F · 16 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Radish. Risky: Lettuce, Kale, Swiss Chard, and Beet and 1 more (matures into the early heat); Spinach, Arugula, and Cilantro (last sowing before the window closes); Okra, Watermelon, and Cantaloupe (soil still cool (~67°F)).
4. April soil ~71°F · highs ~83°F · 18 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Okra, Watermelon, and Cantaloupe. Last good month for: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives. Risky: Radish (matures into the early heat).
5. May soil ~74°F · highs ~93°F · 14 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Tomato, Pepper, Cucumber, Bean, and Corn. Risky: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives (transplant shock in the heat — establish before or after summer).
6. June soil ~76°F · highs ~101°F · 9 of 35 crops in a good window
   Risky: Tomato, Pepper, Cucumber, and Bean and 1 more (midsummer heat stalls fruit set); Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives (transplant shock in the heat — establish before or after summer). Nothing new opens or closes.
7. July soil ~77°F · highs ~103°F · 9 of 35 crops in a good window
   Risky: Tomato, Pepper, Cucumber, and Bean and 1 more (midsummer heat stalls fruit set); Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives (transplant shock in the heat — establish before or after summer). Nothing new opens or closes.
8. August soil ~76°F · highs ~101°F · 14 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Tomato, Pepper, Cucumber, Bean, and Corn. Risky: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives (transplant shock in the heat — establish before or after summer).
9. September soil ~74°F · highs ~93°F · 14 of 35 crops in a good window
   Risky: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives (transplant shock in the heat — establish before or after summer). Nothing new opens or closes.
10. October soil ~71°F · highs ~83°F · 15 of 35 crops in a good window
    Opens: Garlic. Last good month for: Okra, Watermelon, and Cantaloupe. Risky: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives (transplant shock in the heat — establish before or after summer).
11. November soil ~67°F · highs ~73°F · 32 of 35 crops in a good window
    Opens: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Arugula, and Carrot and 14 more. Risky: Okra, Watermelon, and Cantaloupe (soil still cool (~67°F)).
12. December soil ~65°F · highs ~65°F · 32 of 35 crops in a good window
    Last good month for: Garlic.

When to Start Seeds Indoors vs. Direct Sow in Zone 11A

Zone 11A rarely sees frost, so timing runs off heat and season length instead: transplant crops still benefit from an indoor head start, and direct-sow crops go straight into the bed. Every crop's method is below.

Planting a fall garden? Count the indoor weeks back from your transplant date instead of the spring frost — the free AI plan's prep runway computes that per plant, including hardening-off days.

How Much Fits in a Zone 11A Season

• 31 of 35 crops have four or more good planting months in Zone 11A.
• Widest windows: Basil (12 months), Eggplant (12 months), Pumpkin (12 months).
• Good months per crop in Zone 11A: Basil 12 · Eggplant 12 · Pumpkin 12 · Sunflower 12 · Sweet Potato 12 · Zucchini 12 · Bean 10 · Corn 10 · Cucumber 10 · Pepper 10 · Tomato 10 · Cantaloupe 7 · Okra 7 · Watermelon 7 · Chives 6 · Oregano 6 · Rosemary 6 · Thyme 6 · Radish 5 · Arugula 4 · Beet 4 · Broccoli 4 · Cabbage 4 · Carrot 4 · Cauliflower 4 · Cilantro 4 · Kale 4 · Lettuce 4 · Peas 4 · Spinach 4 · Swiss Chard 4 · Garlic 3 · Onion 3 · Parsley 3 · Potato 3

Zone 11A Planting FAQ