🌱 Free USDA zone, frost dates & planting calendar, by ZIP About & data sources
My Planting Zone know your zone

Planting Zone 12a

Min winter temp 50 to 55°F · frost-free, year-round growing

Last spring frost
Frost-free
First fall frost
Frost-free
Growing season
365 days

Zone 12a rarely sees frost, so you can plant across a long, near-continuous season. Focus on heat tolerance and, in the hottest months, some afternoon shade.

Zone 12a planting schedule and calendar

Start indoors Transplant Direct sow Harvest
Crop JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Tomatoes ● ●
Peppers ● ●
Cucumbers ● ●
Lettuce ● ●
Zucchini ● ●
Carrots ● ●
Beans (bush) ● ●
Peas ● ●
Broccoli ● ●
Spinach ● ●
Kale ● ●
Onions ● ●
Garlic ● ●
Potatoes ● ●
Squash (winter) ● ●
Corn ● ●
Radishes ● ●
Beets ● ●
Eggplant ● ●
Basil ● ●
Cilantro ● ●
Parsley ● ●
Pumpkins ● ●
Sunflowers ● ●

What to plant this fall in Zone 12a

Zone 12a never really shuts down, so fall is not the end of the season here, it is the start of the good one. Once the heat breaks, cool-season crops that bolt in a Zone 12a summer grow properly. Sow them from about October onward.

More on the method: the fall planting calendar by zone, when to plant garlic and how to stretch your first frost date.

When to plant popular crops in Zone 12a

Tomatoes

~75 days

When to plant

Peppers

~80 days

When to plant

Cucumbers

~60 days

When to plant

Lettuce

~50 days

When to plant
Tomatoes Peppers Cucumbers Lettuce Zucchini Carrots Beans (bush) Peas Broccoli Spinach Kale Onions Garlic Potatoes Squash (winter) Corn Radishes Beets Eggplant Basil Cilantro Parsley Pumpkins Sunflowers

Seasonal reading for Zone 12a

Nearby zones

Zone 11b (colder) Zone 12b (warmer) What USDA zones actually mean Frost dates by city

Frequently asked questions

When is the last frost in Zone 12a?

Zone 12a is effectively frost-free, so you can garden year-round.

What can I grow in Zone 12a?

Nearly all common vegetables and herbs grow in Zone 12a; the difference is timing. Use the planting calendar above, calculated from Zone 12a frost dates.

What can I plant in the fall in Zone 12a?

Zone 12a has no meaningful frost, so fall is the start of the easiest growing season of the year here. Cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, kale and cilantro are sown from around October, when the heat finally breaks.

How long is the growing season in Zone 12a?

Year-round (365 days).