Planting calendar

Zone 9 Planting Calendar (9a & 9b): Printable, by Month

Last updated September 14, 2026

Zone 9 at a glance

Zone 9 runs winter lows of 20 to 30°F, and is conventionally taken to average its last spring frost around February 20 and its first fall frost around December 10 — about 293 frost-free days. Nearly year-round growing, with an inverted calendar: winter is the prime season for greens and root crops, summer is the hard part.

Sow frost-tolerant crops (peas, spinach, radishes, lettuce, kale, carrots) 6 to 2 weeks before February 20. Plant warm-season crops (beans, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers) 1 to 3 weeks after it. Sow a second round of greens and roots about 10 to 12 weeks before December 10.

Typical regions in zone 9: Houston, San Antonio, Jacksonville, Las Vegas and California's Central Valley.

Zone 9 planting chart

Zone 9 vegetable planting calendar: indoor start, direct sow and transplant windows by month for 12 beginner crops — Every sowing window for zone 9 on one page, drawn from the same data as the tables below. Dashed lines mark the average last frost (February 20) and first frost (December 10).

Month by month in zone 9

11 of the 12 months have something to plant in zone 9. Rows marked re-sow are succession sowings — the same crop planted again every 14 days for a continuous harvest, up to the last date it can still mature before December 10.

January

Crop	What to do	Window
Cucumber	Start indoors	January 23 - January 30
Kale	Start indoors	January 9 - January 23
Tomato	Start indoors	December 26 - January 9
Carrot	Direct sow outdoors	January 30 - February 6
Kale	Direct sow outdoors	January 23 - February 6
Lettuce (leaf)	Direct sow outdoors	January 23 - February 6
Peas	Direct sow outdoors	January 9 - January 23
Radish	Direct sow outdoors	January 23 - February 6
Spinach	Direct sow outdoors	January 9 - January 23
Onion	Transplant outdoors	January 23 - February 6
Spinach	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2

February

Crop	What to do	Window
Bush beans	Direct sow outdoors	February 27 - March 6
Carrot	Direct sow outdoors	January 30 - February 6
Kale	Direct sow outdoors	January 23 - February 6
Lettuce (leaf)	Direct sow outdoors	January 23 - February 6
Radish	Direct sow outdoors	January 23 - February 6
Onion	Transplant outdoors	January 23 - February 6
Tomato	Transplant outdoors	February 27 - March 6
Carrot	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 7
Kale	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Lettuce (leaf)	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2
Radish	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 27
Spinach	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2

March

Crop	What to do	Window
Bush beans	Direct sow outdoors	February 27 - March 6
Cucumber	Direct sow outdoors	March 6 - March 13
Zucchini	Direct sow outdoors	March 6 - March 13
Pepper	Transplant outdoors	March 6 - March 13
Tomato	Transplant outdoors	February 27 - March 6
Bush beans	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Carrot	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 7
Kale	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Lettuce (leaf)	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2
Radish	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 27
Spinach	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2

April

Crop	What to do	Window
Bush beans	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Carrot	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 7
Kale	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Lettuce (leaf)	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2
Radish	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 27
Spinach	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2

May

Crop	What to do	Window
Bush beans	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Carrot	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 7
Kale	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Lettuce (leaf)	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2
Radish	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 27
Spinach	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2

June

Crop	What to do	Window
Bush beans	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Carrot	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing September 7
Kale	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing September 27
Lettuce (leaf)	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing October 2
Radish	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing October 27
Spinach	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing October 2

July

Crop	What to do	Window
Bush beans	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Carrot	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing September 7
Kale	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing September 27
Lettuce (leaf)	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing October 2
Radish	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing October 27
Spinach	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing October 2

August

Crop	What to do	Window
Carrot	Direct sow for a fall crop	August 24 - September 7
Bush beans	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Carrot	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing September 7
Kale	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing September 27
Lettuce (leaf)	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing October 2
Radish	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing October 27
Spinach	Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat	last sowing October 2

September

Crop	What to do	Window
Carrot	Direct sow for a fall crop	August 24 - September 7
Kale	Direct sow for a fall crop	September 13 - September 27
Lettuce (leaf)	Direct sow for a fall crop	September 18 - October 2
Peas	Direct sow for a fall crop	September 3 - September 17
Spinach	Direct sow for a fall crop	September 18 - October 2
Bush beans	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Kale	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing September 27
Lettuce (leaf)	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2
Radish	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 27
Spinach	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2

October

Crop	What to do	Window
Lettuce (leaf)	Direct sow for a fall crop	September 18 - October 2
Radish	Direct sow for a fall crop	October 13 - October 27
Spinach	Direct sow for a fall crop	September 18 - October 2
Lettuce (leaf)	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2
Radish	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 27
Spinach	Re-sow every 14 days	last sowing October 2

November

Nothing to sow outdoors in November in zone 9. Crops already in the ground keep growing and keep being harvested.

December

Crop	What to do	Window
Onion	Start indoors	December 12 - December 26
Pepper	Start indoors	December 12 - December 26
Tomato	Start indoors	December 26 - January 9

Nothing to sow outdoors in November in zone 9. Use the time to plan beds, order seed, build a compost pile, or start long-season crops under a light indoors.

Every crop, sowing to harvest

One row per crop, with the indoor start where it applies, the outdoor planting window, the second fall sowing where the season allows it, and the earliest realistic harvest.

Harvest dates assume the earliest outdoor planting in the window and the crop's published days-to-harvest range. Weather moves all of it.
Crop	Start indoors	Plant outdoors	Fall sowing	Re-sow until	Harvest from
Radish	-	Direct sow outdoors: January 23 - February 6	October 13 - October 27	October 27	February 14 - February 22
Lettuce (leaf)	-	Direct sow outdoors: January 23 - February 6	September 18 - October 2	October 2	March 4 - March 19
Spinach	-	Direct sow outdoors: January 9 - January 23	September 18 - October 2	October 2	February 23 - March 5
Bush beans	-	Direct sow outdoors: February 27 - March 6	-	September 27	April 18 - April 28
Zucchini	-	Direct sow outdoors: March 6 - March 13	-	-	April 25 - May 5
Kale	January 9 - January 23	Direct sow outdoors: January 23 - February 6	September 13 - September 27	September 27	March 9 - March 24
Peas	-	Direct sow outdoors: January 9 - January 23	September 3 - September 17	-	March 5 - March 20
Carrot	-	Direct sow outdoors: January 30 - February 6	August 24 - September 7	September 7	April 10 - April 20
Cucumber	January 23 - January 30	Direct sow outdoors: March 6 - March 13	-	-	April 30 - May 15
Tomato	December 26 - January 9	Transplant outdoors: February 27 - March 6	-	-	May 3 - May 23
Pepper	December 12 - December 26	Transplant outdoors: March 6 - March 13	-	-	May 15 - June 4
Onion	December 12 - December 26	Transplant outdoors: January 23 - February 6	-	-	May 3 - May 23

Zone 9a vs 9b: what the letter means

Zone 9 covers places whose coldest night of the year averages 20 to 30°F. USDA splits it into two 5-degree halves: 9a (20 to 25°F) and 9b (25 to 30°F).

The letter tells you about winter survival — whether a perennial left in the ground makes it through the coldest night. It says nothing about when your last spring frost arrives, and that date decides every sowing window on this page. Las Vegas, NV (9b) and Seattle, WA (9a) are both zone 9, yet their typical last frosts are 6 weeks apart: Jan 20 and Mar 2.

So for vegetables, ignore the letter. Find the frost dates for the weather station nearest you — the table below covers 6 zone 9 cities — and enter them in the interactive calendar. Every window recalculates from your dates.

Frost dates for cities in zone 9

Same zone, frost dates weeks apart — which is why the calendar asks for your own dates rather than trusting the zone.

Show safer 30% and 10% dates

NOAA 1991–2020 normals for each city's weather station (usually the airport). The **typical** date has a 50% chance of frost after it in spring, or before it in fall; at **10%** the risk is 1 year in 10.
City	Zone	Last frost	30%	10%	First frost	30%	10%	Frost-free days
Houston, TX houston intercont ap Use these dates	9b	Feb 13	Feb 28	Mar 12	Dec 9	Dec 1	Nov 17	300
San Antonio, TX san antonio intl ap Use these dates	9a	Feb 26	Mar 6	Mar 17	Nov 28	Nov 20	Nov 7	277
Jacksonville, FL jacksonville craig muni ap Use these dates	9b	Feb 9	Feb 23	Mar 7	Dec 31	Dec 13	Nov 30	314
Las Vegas, NV las vegas mccarran ap · freezes in 94.3% of years Use these dates	9b	Jan 20	Feb 1	Feb 14	Dec 15	Dec 8	Nov 28	333
Sacramento, CA sacramento metro ap Use these dates	9b	Feb 22	Mar 5	Apr 1	Nov 24	Nov 17	Nov 9	277
Seattle, WA seattle tacoma intl ap Use these dates	9a	Mar 2	Mar 12	Mar 23	Nov 23	Nov 14	Nov 6	266

Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal ; USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University) . The zone shown is read from the 2023 USDA map at each station's location.

Growing in zone 9

Nearly year-round growing, with an inverted calendar: winter is the prime season for greens and root crops, summer is the hard part.

Soil beats calendar. Extension guidance for the hardiest crops is “as soon as the soil can be worked” or “as soon as the soil thaws” — not a fixed date. If you cannot crumble a handful of soil in your fist, wait, whatever the table says. Warm-season crops have a matching rule: beans want 60°F soil, cucumbers and squash 70°F.

Heat is your limiting factor, not frost. With 293 frost-free days, the hard part of the zone 9 year is midsummer. Lettuce and spinach bolt bitter above 80°F, so move them to autumn and late winter rather than fighting July. The fall sowing dates above are the important ones here.

About the bolting warnings. Cool-season crops run to seed and turn bitter in summer heat. The “may bolt in heat” flag above is a rough calendar rule — mid-June to the start of September, the same window across the whole country — because a hardiness zone carries no summer-temperature information at all. In zone 9 treat it as understated; your hot spell starts earlier and runs later, and heat-tolerant varieties plus afternoon shade matter.

Where these dates come from. A USDA hardiness zone describes average annual extreme minimum WINTER temperature — it is a winter-survival rating for perennials, not a frost-date band. The frost dates below are widely-used approximations for each zone, not official USDA figures, and a single zone spans hundreds of miles. Treat them as a default guess and replace them with your own local averages wherever you have them.

You can enter your own frost dates in the interactive calendar and every window on it recalculates from your numbers. Look up your local averages on the NOAA last-spring-freeze map. Note that an “average” frost date is the point where the chance of freezing drops below 50 percent, so for tender crops it is worth waiting a week or two past it.

Other zones: zone 3 , zone 4 , zone 5 , zone 6 , zone 7 , zone 8 , zone 10 . Or use the interactive calendar to check a single month.

Zone 9 questions

When is the last frost in zone 9?

Zone 9 is conventionally taken to average its last spring frost around February 20 and its first fall frost around December 10, giving roughly 293 frost-free days. Be aware that a hardiness zone is defined by winter minimum temperature, not by frost dates — these are widely-used approximations, not official USDA figures. Get your real dates from the NOAA freeze-date map or your county cooperative extension office.

What can I plant now in zone 9?

Use the month-by-month table on this page. The pattern is: frost-tolerant crops like peas, spinach and radishes go in 6 to 2 weeks before February 20; warm-season crops like beans, zucchini and tomatoes go in 1 to 3 weeks after it; and cool-season crops get a second sowing about 10 to 12 weeks before December 10.

Can I grow tomatoes in zone 9?

Yes. In zone 9, start tomato seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before February 20 or buy a seedling, then transplant 1 to 2 weeks after the last frost once nights stay above 50°F. With 293 frost-free days there is comfortable room for any variety, including large beefsteak types.

How many harvests can I get in zone 9?

Two to three rounds a year, with the cool-season crops moved to autumn and late winter rather than midsummer, when heat rather than frost becomes the limiting factor.

Does a raised bed change these dates in zone 9?

Yes, in spring. A raised bed warms 2 to 3 weeks earlier than open ground, so you can bring the early sowings forward by up to two weeks. Autumn dates are unchanged, since the first frost arrives on the same day regardless of your setup.

What is the difference between zone 9a and 9b?

Five degrees in the average coldest night of the year. Zone 9a averages 20 to 25°F at its coldest and zone 9b 25 to 30°F. The letter matters for perennials on the edge of winter hardiness. It does not change vegetable planting dates, which follow your frost dates — the calendar on this page applies to both halves.

Is zone 9a or 9b better for tomatoes?

Neither — the letter does not decide it. 9a and 9b differ only in how cold the coldest winter night gets, and tomatoes grow in summer, long after that night has passed. What matters is the length of your frost-free season. Within zone 9, Las Vegas, NV (9b) averages 333 frost-free days and Seattle, WA (9a) only 266. Check the city table on this page, or enter your own frost dates in the calendar.

What can I plant in July in zone 9?

In zone 9, July plantings are: re-sow every 14 days — bush beans, carrot, kale, lettuce (leaf), radish and spinach. The July table gives the exact window for each. Cool-season sowings in July may bolt in the heat.

When does fall planting start in zone 9?

Sowings for a fall harvest in zone 9 start around August 24 with carrot and run to about October 27 with radish. Each date is counted back from the average first frost (December 10) by the crop's days to harvest plus two weeks, so a crop sown on time matures before the cold arrives.

Is there a printable PDF of the zone 9 planting calendar?

Not as a download yet. The chart and the month-by-month tables on this page print cleanly — use your browser's Print command and the menus, ads and questions are left off the page. A downloadable version is on the way.