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USDA Zone 10a Planting Calendar: What to Plant and When

Zone 10a means an average lowest winter temperature of 30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 to 2 Celsius).

Pea vines with green pods climbing a wire trellis
Your zone will not tell you when to sow. A hardiness zone is a winter survival number and nothing else. It does not give you a last frost date, a growing season length, or any measure of summer heat. Zone 10a runs through Central Florida, South Florida, Desert Southwest, Texas, Southern California and Northern California & Central Valley, which share a winter low and almost nothing else. Central Florida, South Florida and Southern California are effectively frost free, while the frost window is February 5 to December 5 in Desert Southwest, March 1 to November 28 in Texas and February 28 to November 17 in Northern California & Central Valley. Their sowing calendars are weeks apart. Use your zone to choose fruit trees and perennials, and use your frost dates to schedule everything you sow.

Your growing region in zone 10a

Zone 10a runs through the regions below. Each one has a month by month sowing calendar built on its own frost dates and summer heat, not on the zone number.

RegionZone rangeFrost window
Central Florida9b-10beffectively frost free
South Florida10a-11aeffectively frost free
Desert Southwest7a-10aFebruary 5 to December 5
Texas8a-10aMarch 1 to November 28
Southern California9b-10beffectively frost free
Northern California & Central Valley7b-10aFebruary 28 to November 17

What to plant now in zone 10a: October 2026, region by region

Zone 10a runs through Central Florida, South Florida, Desert Southwest, Texas, Southern California and Northern California & Central Valley, and each of them plants on its own calendar. These are the vegetables to sow or plant this month in each region, from the same data as the region calendars; follow the links for herbs, fruit and the full year.

RegionVegetables to sow this monthCalendars
Central Florida47 vegetables, including Peas, Snow Peas, Lettuce, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Kale, Collard Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot, Beet and 35 more.October in Central Florida
Central Florida vegetable planting calendar
South Florida56 vegetables, including Tomato, Bell Pepper, Chili Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini, Squash, Cucumber, Pumpkin, Sweet Corn, Bush Beans, Peas, Snow Peas and 44 more.October in South Florida
South Florida vegetable planting calendar
Desert Southwest46 vegetables, including Peas, Snow Peas, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Collard Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot, Beet, Radish and 34 more.October in Desert Southwest
Desert Southwest vegetable planting calendar
Texas38 vegetables, including Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Collard Greens, Carrot, Beet, Radish, Turnip, Onion, Garlic, Potato, Arugula and 26 more.October in Texas
Texas vegetable planting calendar
Southern California54 vegetables, including Peas, Snow Peas, Lettuce, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Kale, Collard Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot, Beet and 42 more.October in Southern California
Southern California vegetable planting calendar
Northern California & Central Valley45 vegetables, including Peas, Snow Peas, Lettuce, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Kale, Collard Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot, Beet and 33 more.October in Northern California
Northern California vegetable planting calendar

Zone 10a planting calendar: what to plant each month

Rows of green and red lettuce in a raised bed
Lettuce: sown or planted in October in every region of zone 10a.
Curly and lacinato kale growing in a raised bed
Kale: sown or planted in October in every region of zone 10a.
A broccoli head forming among blue-green leaves in a raised bed
Broccoli: sown or planted in October in 5 of the 6 regions of zone 10a.

Zone 10a covers 6 of our regions: Central Florida, South Florida, Desert Southwest, Texas, Southern California and Northern California. A zone shares a winter low, not a planting calendar, so this calendar follows each region's own sowing windows from our data. For each month, the second column lists the vegetables that every region in zone 10a can sow or plant, and the region columns give the number of vegetables each region can sow, linked to that region's month page with the full list. Each month name links to the national page for that month.

MonthVegetables to sow in every region of zone 10aCentral FloridaSouth FloridaDesert SouthwestTexasSouthern CaliforniaNorthern California
January7 vegetables: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Globe Artichoke, Kohlrabi, Mustard Greens and Sunchoke.535439115242
FebruaryNo vegetable in every region; see the region counts.432829405446
March10 vegetables: Zucchini, Squash, Cucumber, Sweet Corn, Bush Beans, Swiss Chard, Bitter Melon, Green Onion, Popcorn and Tomatillo.403428204579
April11 vegetables, including Southern Peas, Sweet Potato, Amaranth, Hyacinth Bean (Lablab), Jicama, Lima Beans, Malabar Spinach, New Zealand Spinach, Peanuts, Sorghum and 1 more.222012284141
May3 vegetables: Sweet Potato, Amaranth and Malabar Spinach.1884173837
June3 vegetables: Sweet Potato, Amaranth and Malabar Spinach.474153735
JulyNo vegetable in every region; see the region counts.56493735
AugustNo vegetable in every region; see the region counts.26142329045
September5 vegetables: Lettuce, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot and Mizuna.504154445442
October18 vegetables, including Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Carrot, Beet, Radish, Turnip, Onion, Garlic, Bok Choy and 8 more.475646385445
November3 vegetables: Onion, Garlic and Shallot.47584235241
DecemberNo vegetable in every region; see the region counts.395460238

Zone 10a planting dates by crop

The first and last months to sow or plant 36 popular vegetables, herbs and fruit in each region of zone 10a. A range such as Feb to Apr means you can sow from February through April, and two ranges mean a spring and a fall window. Where our data has a crop set out as transplants, the months are transplanting months. Each crop links to its plant page, which shows the calendar for any region.

CropCentral FloridaSouth FloridaDesert SouthwestTexasSouthern CaliforniaNorthern California
TomatoJan to Feb and Aug to SepAug to FebFeb to Mar and Aug to SepMar and Jul to AugMar to JulMar to Jul
Bell PepperJan to Mar and Aug to SepAug to FebFeb to Mar and AugMar and Jul to AugMar to JulMar to Jul
Chili PepperJan to Mar and Aug to SepAug to FebFeb to Mar and Aug to SepMar and Jul to AugMar to JulMar to Jul
EggplantJan to Feb and Aug to SepAug to FebFeb to Mar and AugMar and Jul to AugMar to JulMar to Jul
ZucchiniJan to Mar and Aug to SepSep to MarFeb to Mar and Aug to SepMar to Apr and AugMar to JulMar to Jul
SquashJan to Mar and Aug to SepSep to MarFeb to Mar and Aug to SepMar to Apr and AugMar to JulMar to Jul
CucumberJan to Mar and SepSep to MarFeb to Mar and Aug to SepMar to Apr and AugMar to JulMar to Jul
PumpkinFeb to Mar and Jul to SepAug to FebMar and AugApr and JunMar to JulMar to Jul
Sweet CornJan to AprOct to MarFeb to MarMar to AprMar to JulMar to Jul
Bush BeansFeb to Apr and Aug to SepSep to AprFeb to Mar and Aug to SepMar to Apr and AugMar to JulMar to Jul
PeasSep to FebOct to JanJan and Sep to OctFeb and SepJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
Snow PeasSep to FebOct to JanJan and Sep to OctFeb and SepJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
OkraMar to AugFeb to Mar and Aug to SepApr to JulApr to JunApr to JulMar to Jul
Southern PeasMar to May and AugMar to Apr and SepMar to Apr and AugApr to JunApr to JulMar to Jul
LettuceSep to MarSep to JanSep to FebFeb and Sep to OctJan to Mar and Sep to NovAug to Mar
SpinachSep to FebOct to JanSep to FebFeb and Sep to OctJan to Mar and Sep to NovAug to Mar
Swiss ChardSep to MarOct to MarFeb to Mar and Aug to SepMar to Apr and AugFeb to Apr and Sep to OctFeb to Mar and Sep to Oct
KaleSep to FebOct to JanSep to FebFeb and Sep to OctJan to Mar and Sep to NovAug to Mar
Collard GreensOct to JanNov to JanJan and Sep to NovFeb and Sep to OctJan to Mar and Sep to NovAug to Mar
BroccoliAug to JanSep to JanJan and Sep to NovJan to Feb and Aug to SepJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
CabbageSep to JanSep to JanJan and Sep to NovJan to Feb and Aug to SepJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
CauliflowerSep to JanOct to JanJan and Sep to NovJan to Feb and Aug to SepJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
CarrotSep to MarSep to FebJan and Sep to NovFeb and Sep to OctJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
BeetSep to FebOct to JanJan and Sep to NovFeb and Sep to OctJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
RadishSep to FebOct to JanJan and Sep to NovFeb and Sep to OctJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
TurnipSep to FebOct to JanJan and Sep to NovFeb and Sep to OctJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
OnionSep to JanOct to DecOct to NovJan and Oct to NovJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug and Oct to Jan
GarlicSep to FebOct to JanOct to NovJan and Oct to NovJan to Feb and Sep to NovOct to Nov
PotatoJan to FebSep to JanJan and Sep to NovFeb and Sep to OctJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
Sweet PotatoMar to JulFeb to OctApr to JulApr to JunApr to JulApr to Jun
BasilFeb to Mar and Aug to SepAug to FebMar to Apr and SepMar to AprMar to JulMar to Jul
CilantroSep to FebOct to JanJan to Feb and Oct to NovFeb and Sep to OctJan to Feb and Sep to NovAug to Mar
ParsleySep to MarOct to MarJan to Feb and Oct to NovFeb and Sep to OctFeb to Apr and Sep to OctFeb to Mar and Sep to Oct
StrawberrySep to OctOct to NovOct to NovFeb and OctMar to Apr and OctNov to Feb
WatermelonJan to MarJan to Mar and Aug to SepFeb to MarMar to AprApr to JulMar to Jul
CantaloupeJan to MarDec to MarFeb to MarMar to AprApr to JulMar to Jul

Frost dates in zone 10a

Frost dates, not the zone number, set the sowing windows above. These are the regional frost windows from our frost table, with the ZIP code records for a few places in each region. ZIP code figures come from the nearest weather station in the NOAA 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals at the 50 percent level, so in one year out of two the last frost comes later. Check your own ZIP code in the Frost Lookup.

RegionFrost windowGrowing seasonZIP code records
Central FloridaEffectively frost freeYear roundOrlando (32801): effectively frost free
Tampa (33602): effectively frost free
Melbourne (32901): effectively frost free
Sarasota (34236): effectively frost free
South FloridaEffectively frost freeYear roundMiami (33130): effectively frost free
Fort Lauderdale (33301): effectively frost free
Fort Myers (33901): effectively frost free
Naples (34102): effectively frost free
Desert SouthwestFebruary 5 to December 5about 303 daysPhoenix (85004): effectively frost free
Tucson (85701): last frost January 20, first frost December 17
Yuma (85364): last frost January 8, first frost December 28
Las Vegas (89101): last frost February 1, first frost December 8
TexasMarch 1 to November 28about 272 daysHouston (77002): last frost February 2, first frost December 25
Dallas (75201): last frost March 2, first frost November 29
Austin (78701): last frost March 10, first frost November 17
San Antonio (78205): last frost February 25, first frost November 28
Lubbock (79401): last frost March 24, first frost November 11
El Paso (79901): last frost March 2, first frost November 20
Southern CaliforniaEffectively frost freeYear roundLos Angeles (90012): effectively frost free
San Diego (92101): effectively frost free
Santa Barbara (93101): effectively frost free
San Francisco (94102): effectively frost free
Northern California & Central ValleyFebruary 28 to November 17about 262 daysSacramento (95814): last frost January 12, first frost December 16
Fresno (93721): last frost January 30, first frost December 11
Bakersfield (93301): last frost January 31, first frost December 8
Redding (96001): last frost February 13, first frost December 13

What zone 10a is good for

Any perennial, shrub or fruit tree rated to zone 10a or lower should survive a normal winter where you are. That is the question a zone answers well. For fruit trees there is a second number that matters just as much: winter chill hours, which decide whether a variety will set fruit at all. The free app checks both.

Find your dates

Match your zip code to a region, then check the frost dates table for your sowing window.

Zones changed in 2023. The USDA updated the Plant Hardiness Zone Map in November 2023, the first revision since 2012. It runs about 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer overall and roughly half the country moved up a half zone, with the biggest shifts through the Central Plains and Midwest. If you learned your zone before then, it is worth checking again.

Questions about zone 10a

What temperature is USDA zone 10a?

Zone 10a has an average annual lowest winter temperature of 30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, which is -1 to 2 degrees Celsius.

What can I plant in zone 10a?

Any perennial or fruit tree rated to zone 10a or lower should survive a normal winter there. For annual vegetables the zone is the wrong tool: use your last and first frost dates instead, because they set the sowing window.

Does zone 10a tell me when to plant tomatoes?

No. Sowing dates come from your last spring frost, not your hardiness zone. Two gardens in zone 10a can have frost dates weeks apart.

What should I plant now in zone 10a?

It depends on which region of zone 10a you garden in, because a zone shares a winter low, not a calendar. Zone 10a runs through Central Florida, South Florida, Desert Southwest, Texas, Southern California and Northern California & Central Valley. The table on this page lists the vegetables to sow this month in each of them and links to each region's month page and full vegetable planting calendar.

When to plant tomatoes in zone 10a?

It depends on the region, because zone 10a regions plant on different calendars. Our calendars set out tomatoes in Central Florida, January to February and August to September; in South Florida, August to February; in the Desert Southwest, February to March and August to September; in Texas, March and July to August; in Southern California, March to July; in Northern California, March to July. The planting dates table on this page lists the months for every popular crop.

When to plant peppers in zone 10a?

It depends on the region, because zone 10a regions plant on different calendars. Our calendars plant peppers in Central Florida, January to March and August to September; in South Florida, August to February; in the Desert Southwest, February to March and August; in Texas, March and July to August; in Southern California, March to July; in Northern California, March to July. The planting dates table on this page lists the months for every popular crop.

When to plant garlic in zone 10a?

It depends on the region, because zone 10a regions plant on different calendars. Our calendars plant garlic in Central Florida, September to February; in South Florida, October to January; in the Desert Southwest, October to November; in Texas, January and October to November; in Southern California, January to February and September to November; in Northern California, October to November. The planting dates table on this page lists the months for every popular crop.

When to plant potatoes in zone 10a?

It depends on the region, because zone 10a regions plant on different calendars. Our calendars plant potatoes in Central Florida, January to February; in South Florida, September to January; in the Desert Southwest, January and September to November; in Texas, February and September to October; in Southern California, January to February and September to November; in Northern California, August to March. The planting dates table on this page lists the months for every popular crop.

When is the last frost in zone 10a?

A zone does not set a frost date, so it depends on the region. In zone 10a, Central Florida is effectively frost free; South Florida is effectively frost free; the Desert Southwest has an average last spring frost around February 5 and a first fall frost around December 5; Texas has an average last spring frost around March 1 and a first fall frost around November 28; Southern California is effectively frost free; Northern California has an average last spring frost around February 28 and a first fall frost around November 17. Check your own ZIP code in the Frost Lookup.

All zones

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