Planting Zone 9a

Min winter temp 20 to 25°F · last frost ~March · first frost ~November

Last spring frost

Mar 1

First fall frost

Nov 30

Growing season

274 days

In Zone 9a, the average last spring frost is around March and the first fall frost around November, about a 274-day growing season. Start tender crops indoors before the last frost and move them out once it passes.

Zone 9a planting schedule and calendar

Start indoors Transplant Direct sow Harvest

Crop	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Dec
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 9a

Fall planting in Zone 9a is arithmetic, not guesswork. The average first frost lands around November 30, so a crop needs its days to maturity, plus about two weeks for the slower growth of shortening days, to fit before then. Hardy crops get some of that back because they keep going past a light frost.

Crop	Sow by	Fall harvest	Days to harvest
Radishes	Nov 9	Dec 7	~28
Cilantro	Oct 16	Nov 30	~45
Kale	Oct 15	Dec 14	~60
Beets	Oct 13	Dec 7	~55
Lettuce	Oct 11	Nov 30	~50
Carrots	Oct 5	Dec 14	~70
Broccoli	Oct 3	Dec 7	~65
Peas	Oct 1	Nov 30	~60
Zucchini	Sep 8	Nov 2	~55
Beans (bush)	Sep 8	Nov 2	~55
Cucumbers	Sep 3	Nov 2	~60
Potatoes	Aug 28	Nov 26	~90
Tomatoes	Aug 19	Nov 2	~75
Peppers	Aug 14	Nov 2	~80
Eggplant	Aug 9	Nov 2	~85

Planted in fall to stand through a Zone 9a winter: garlic (Nov 30 to Dec 28) , onions (Oct 19 to Nov 9) , spinach (Oct 19 to Nov 2) , parsley (Oct 19 to Nov 2) .

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 9a

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

Cities in Zone 9a, with their own local frost dates: Houston, TX frost dates .

Seasonal reading for Zone 9a

What to plant in October by zone
The October sowing and planting list for Zone 9a.
What to plant in November by zone
What still goes in the ground in November in Zone 9a.
Cold frame gardening by zone
How many weeks a cold frame adds to the Zone 9a season, and what to grow in it.
October garden checklist
The jobs to finish before the first hard freeze in Zone 9a.
Winter sowing guide
Winter sowing dates for Zone 9a.
When to start seeds indoors by zone
Indoor seed-starting dates counted from the Zone 9a last frost.
What changed in the 2023 USDA zone map
Whether the 2023 USDA map moved Zone 9a, and what that changes.
Companion planting chart
Which crops to plant together once you know your dates.

Nearby zones

Zone 8b (colder) Zone 9b (warmer) What USDA zones actually mean Frost dates by city

Frequently asked questions

When is the last frost in Zone 9a?

On average, the last spring frost in Zone 9a is around March; the first fall frost is around November.

What can I grow in Zone 9a?

Nearly all common vegetables and herbs grow in Zone 9a; the difference is timing. Use the planting calendar above, calculated from Zone 9a frost dates.

What can I plant in the fall in Zone 9a?

radishes (sow by Nov 9), cilantro (sow by Oct 16), kale (sow by Oct 15), beets (sow by Oct 13), lettuce (sow by Oct 11), carrots (sow by Oct 5). Each date is counted back from the Zone 9a average first frost around November 30.

How long is the growing season in Zone 9a?

About 274 days between the average last spring and first fall frost.