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

Zone 10b means an average lowest winter temperature of 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 4 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 10b runs through Central Florida, South Florida and Southern California, which share a winter low and almost nothing else. All of them are effectively frost free, but their summer heat and rainfall differ. 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 10b

Zone 10b 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
Southern California9b-10beffectively frost free

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

Zone 10b runs through Central Florida, South Florida and Southern California, 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
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

Zone 10b 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 10b.
Curly and lacinato kale growing in a raised bed
Kale: sown or planted in October in every region of zone 10b.
A broccoli head forming among blue-green leaves in a raised bed
Broccoli: sown or planted in October in every region of zone 10b.

Zone 10b covers 3 of our regions: Central Florida, South Florida and Southern 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 10b 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 10bCentral FloridaSouth FloridaSouthern California
January39 vegetables, including Peas, Snow Peas, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Collard Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot and 29 more.535452
February3 vegetables: Swiss Chard, Carrot and Green Onion.432854
March22 vegetables, including Zucchini, Squash, Cucumber, Sweet Corn, Bush Beans, Swiss Chard, Arrowroot, Bitter Melon, Brazilian Spinach, Cassava and 12 more.403445
April20 vegetables, including Bush Beans, Southern Peas, Sweet Potato, Amaranth, Arrowroot, Brazilian Spinach, Cassava, Ginger, Hyacinth Bean (Lablab), Jicama and 10 more.222041
May7 vegetables: Sweet Potato, Amaranth, Cassava, Ginger, Malabar Spinach, Taro and Turmeric.18838
June3 vegetables: Sweet Potato, Amaranth and Malabar Spinach.4737
July3 vegetables: Sweet Potato, Amaranth and Malabar Spinach.5637
AugustNo vegetable in every region; see the region counts.26140
September6 vegetables: Lettuce, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Mizuna and Shallot.504154
October33 vegetables, including Peas, Snow Peas, Lettuce, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot and 23 more.475654
November44 vegetables, including Peas, Snow Peas, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Collard Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot and 34 more.475852
December2 vegetables: Mizuna and Shallot.39542

Zone 10b planting dates by crop

The first and last months to sow or plant 36 popular vegetables, herbs and fruit in each region of zone 10b. 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 FloridaSouthern California
TomatoJan to Feb and Aug to SepAug to FebMar to Jul
Bell PepperJan to Mar and Aug to SepAug to FebMar to Jul
Chili PepperJan to Mar and Aug to SepAug to FebMar to Jul
EggplantJan to Feb and Aug to SepAug to FebMar to Jul
ZucchiniJan to Mar and Aug to SepSep to MarMar to Jul
SquashJan to Mar and Aug to SepSep to MarMar to Jul
CucumberJan to Mar and SepSep to MarMar to Jul
PumpkinFeb to Mar and Jul to SepAug to FebMar to Jul
Sweet CornJan to AprOct to MarMar to Jul
Bush BeansFeb to Apr and Aug to SepSep to AprMar to Jul
PeasSep to FebOct to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
Snow PeasSep to FebOct to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
OkraMar to AugFeb to Mar and Aug to SepApr to Jul
Southern PeasMar to May and AugMar to Apr and SepApr to Jul
LettuceSep to MarSep to JanJan to Mar and Sep to Nov
SpinachSep to FebOct to JanJan to Mar and Sep to Nov
Swiss ChardSep to MarOct to MarFeb to Apr and Sep to Oct
KaleSep to FebOct to JanJan to Mar and Sep to Nov
Collard GreensOct to JanNov to JanJan to Mar and Sep to Nov
BroccoliAug to JanSep to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
CabbageSep to JanSep to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
CauliflowerSep to JanOct to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
CarrotSep to MarSep to FebJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
BeetSep to FebOct to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
RadishSep to FebOct to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
TurnipSep to FebOct to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
OnionSep to JanOct to DecJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
GarlicSep to FebOct to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
PotatoJan to FebSep to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
Sweet PotatoMar to JulFeb to OctApr to Jul
BasilFeb to Mar and Aug to SepAug to FebMar to Jul
CilantroSep to FebOct to JanJan to Feb and Sep to Nov
ParsleySep to MarOct to MarFeb to Apr and Sep to Oct
StrawberrySep to OctOct to NovMar to Apr and Oct
WatermelonJan to MarJan to Mar and Aug to SepApr to Jul
CantaloupeJan to MarDec to MarApr to Jul

Frost dates in zone 10b

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
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

What zone 10b is good for

Any perennial, shrub or fruit tree rated to zone 10b 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 10b

What temperature is USDA zone 10b?

Zone 10b has an average annual lowest winter temperature of 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 2 to 4 degrees Celsius.

What can I plant in zone 10b?

Any perennial or fruit tree rated to zone 10b 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 10b tell me when to plant tomatoes?

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

What should I plant now in zone 10b?

It depends on which region of zone 10b you garden in, because a zone shares a winter low, not a calendar. Zone 10b runs through Central Florida, South Florida and Southern California. 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 10b?

It depends on the region, because zone 10b 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 Southern California, March to July. The planting dates table on this page lists the months for every popular crop.

When to plant peppers in zone 10b?

It depends on the region, because zone 10b 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 Southern California, March to July. The planting dates table on this page lists the months for every popular crop.

When to plant garlic in zone 10b?

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

When to plant potatoes in zone 10b?

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

When is the last frost in zone 10b?

A zone does not set a frost date, so it depends on the region. In zone 10b, Central Florida is effectively frost free; South Florida is effectively frost free; Southern California is effectively frost free. Check your own ZIP code in the Frost Lookup.

All zones

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