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Zone 9A Vegetable Planting Calendar

When can you plant in Zone 9A? In Zone 9A, outdoor sowing opens with cool-season crops like Lettuce and Spinach in January, and warm-season crops like Tomato follow after the ~February 25 last frost. The season runs about 273 frost-free days, until ~November 25. 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 (50/50 date)

~February 25

First frost (50/50 date)

~November 25

A single frost date is a coin flip dressed up as a fact: these are the 50/50 dates, and about half of years see frost past them. Across 4,330 NOAA stations, frost odds typically stay near 1 in 3 for about a week past the date and don't drop below 1 in 10 until roughly 16 days past it — cautious growers wait those two-plus weeks; gamblers plant on the date and keep row cover handy. The free AI plan reads the real percentile dates for your ZIP region and lets you pick your risk.

Zone 9A 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 ~54°F · highs ~54°F · 20 of 35 crops in a good window
   Start indoors: Lettuce, Kale, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Tomato, Basil, Okra, and Sweet Potato. Risky: Garlic (shoulder of the garlic window). Nothing new opens or closes.
2. February soil ~55°F · highs ~56°F · 20 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Onion, Potato, and Parsley. Start indoors: Zucchini, Cucumber, Pumpkin, Watermelon, and Cantaloupe.
3. March soil ~59°F · highs ~64°F · 17 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Arugula, and Carrot and 6 more. Risky: Onion and Potato (matures into the early heat); Tomato, Basil, Zucchini, and Cucumber and 3 more (soil still cool (~59°F)); Parsley (last sowing before the window closes).
4. April soil ~64°F · highs ~75°F · 12 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Tomato, Basil, Zucchini, Cucumber, Bean, and Corn and 1 more. Last good month for: Radish, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives. 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); Pepper, Eggplant, Pumpkin, and Sweet Potato (soil still cool (~64°F)).
5. May soil ~68°F · highs ~86°F · 11 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Pepper, Eggplant, Pumpkin, and Sweet Potato. Last good month for: Tomato, Pepper, Cucumber, Bean, and Corn. Risky: Okra, Watermelon, and Cantaloupe (soil still cool (~68°F)); Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives (transplant shock in the heat — establish before or after summer).
6. June soil ~72°F · highs ~94°F · 9 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Okra, Watermelon, and Cantaloupe. 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).
7. July soil ~73°F · highs ~97°F · 9 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Pumpkin and Sweet Potato. 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).
8. August soil ~72°F · highs ~94°F · 12 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Tomato, Pepper, Cucumber, Bean, and Corn. Last good month for: Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, Basil, Corn, and Sunflower and 3 more. Risky: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives (transplant shock in the heat — establish before or after summer).
9. September soil ~68°F · highs ~86°F · 3 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Zucchini, Cucumber, and Bean. Risky: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives (transplant shock in the heat — establish before or after summer).
10. October soil ~64°F · highs ~75°F · 21 of 35 crops in a good window
    Opens: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Arugula, and Carrot and 15 more.
11. November soil ~59°F · highs ~64°F · 21 of 35 crops in a good window
    Nothing new opens or closes.
12. December soil ~55°F · highs ~56°F · 21 of 35 crops in a good window
    Last good month for: Garlic. Start indoors: Onion, Pepper, Eggplant, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Chives, and Parsley.

When to Start Seeds Indoors vs. Direct Sow in Zone 9A

In Zone 9A, start Onion, Rosemary, Eggplant and other transplants indoors 5–10 weeks before your ~February 25 last frost, then set them out once it passes. Arugula, Bean, Beet and the other direct-sow crops go straight into the bed. Exact indoor start dates for every crop are 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 9A Season

• 26 of 35 crops have four or more good planting months in Zone 9A.
• Widest windows: Chives (7 months), Oregano (7 months), Radish (7 months).
• Tightest windows: Pepper (2) — plant these on the first good month, not the last.
• Good months per crop in Zone 9A: Chives 7 · Oregano 7 · Radish 7 · Rosemary 7 · Thyme 7 · Arugula 6 · Beet 6 · Broccoli 6 · Cabbage 6 · Carrot 6 · Cauliflower 6 · Cilantro 6 · Kale 6 · Lettuce 6 · Peas 6 · Spinach 6 · Swiss Chard 6 · Zucchini 6 · Basil 5 · Onion 5 · Parsley 5 · Potato 5 · Sunflower 5 · Bean 4 · Cucumber 4 · Eggplant 4 · Cantaloupe 3 · Corn 3 · Garlic 3 · Okra 3 · Pumpkin 3 · Sweet Potato 3 · Tomato 3 · Watermelon 3 · Pepper 2

Zone 9A Planting FAQ