In zone 9, fall and winter are prime vegetable seasons. You plant lettuce, broccoli, carrots, onions and peas from September through February, set out tomatoes and peppers in February and March, and then slow down in the summer heat along the Gulf Coast and in the desert. California’s Central Valley is the exception, with a long, dry summer that suits tomatoes and melons well.
Quick answer
- Typical last spring frost in zone 9: late January to early March. Typical first fall frost: late November to late December, and some years none. These are typical ranges, so check your local dates.
- Frost-free season: about 260-330 days, so the limit is usually summer heat, not winter cold.
- Start tomatoes indoors in December to January and transplant from mid-February to March. Plant a second round of tomatoes from late July to early September.
- Plant cool-season crops (broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, spinach, peas) from September through February.
- In the Gulf South and low desert, plan a summer break for heat-lovers only: okra, sweet potatoes and southern peas.
In this guide
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What zone 9 means for your garden
The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts zone 9 where the coldest winter night averages between 20°F and 30°F (9a: 20 to 25°F, 9b: 25 to 30°F). Freezes do happen, but they are short and infrequent. Hardy crops like kale, cabbage and onions grow straight through winter, and even tender crops survive many winters with a cover on the coldest nights.
Frost dates come from NOAA climate normals, not from your zone. Find your local average on our frost dates by zone page, then shift this calendar accordingly, since coastal, inland and elevated gardens in zone 9 can differ by several weeks.
Where is zone 9?
Zone 9 covers three very different climates. Know which one you are in, because it changes your summer plan.
- Gulf South and Florida (humid): Houston, New Orleans, Austin, San Antonio, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Savannah (GA), Charleston (SC).
- California valleys (dry summer): Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, San Jose.
- Desert Southwest (very hot, dry): Tucson, Mesa, Las Vegas and parts of the Phoenix metro area outside the urban core.
Our USDA hardiness zones guide explains how to confirm your exact zone.
Zone 9 planting schedule, month by month
This calendar fits most of zone 9, with notes where the Gulf, California and the desert part ways. It assumes a last frost in February and a first frost in December. For the busiest fall weeks, our list of what to plant in October goes crop by crop.
| Month | Start indoors | Plant outside | Harvest | Key tasks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Tomatoes (early to mid-month); peppers and eggplant if not started in December | Short-day onion transplants, potatoes, peas, lettuce, spinach, carrots, beets, radishes, broccoli and cabbage transplants | Broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, lettuce, carrots, strawberries (Florida) | Cover tender plants on freeze nights |
| February | Basil; cucumbers and squash (optional) | Potatoes, lettuce, radishes, carrots; tomatoes and peppers after the last frost (late month); sweet corn | Broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, peas, strawberries | Harden off transplants, watch late frosts |
| March | Nothing needed | Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, beans, corn, cucumbers, squash, melons | Peas, lettuce, onions (green), broccoli, strawberries | Mulch, set up drip irrigation |
| April | Nothing needed | Okra, southern peas, sweet potato slips, last beans and squash | Potatoes, onions, cabbage, early squash and cucumbers | Install shade cloth frames (desert) |
| May | Nothing needed | Okra, sweet potatoes, southern peas, yardlong beans | Tomatoes, peppers, squash, corn, beans, garlic | Tomatoes slow as nights pass 75°F; water deeply |
| June | Nothing needed | Southern peas and okra; beans, squash and corn for a second crop (Central Valley) | Tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant, melons | Solarize empty beds or sow a summer cover crop |
| July | Tomatoes and peppers for fall (early to mid-month) | Southern peas, okra; fall tomato transplants late month (Gulf) | Okra, peppers, eggplant, southern peas; tomatoes (Central Valley) | Water early in the day, keep mulch thick |
| August | Broccoli, cabbage, kale, lettuce | Fall tomatoes and peppers, beans, cucumbers, squash (Gulf and Florida); carrots | Okra, peppers, sweet potatoes, melons | Shade new transplants |
| September | Lettuce, onions from seed | Beans, squash, broccoli, cabbage, collards and kale transplants, carrots, beets, radishes; desert cool-season planting begins | Sweet potatoes, okra, peppers, winter squash | Add compost, refresh beds for fall |
| October | Nothing needed | Lettuce, spinach, peas, carrots, beets, radishes, onions, strawberries, garlic | Fall beans, squash, cucumbers, peppers; first fall tomatoes | Sow cover crops in unused beds |
| November | Nothing needed | Garlic, onions, peas, lettuce, spinach, carrots; potatoes (central Florida) | Tomatoes, peppers, beans, greens, radishes, first broccoli | Have frost covers ready |
| December | Peppers and eggplant for spring | Lettuce, cabbage, carrots, radishes, peas, garlic (early month) | Broccoli, cabbage, greens, carrots, lettuce | Pick tender crops before a freeze |
Garden hack: In zone 9, you start seeds twice a year. Mark two dates on your calendar: early January for spring tomatoes and peppers, and early July for fall tomatoes and peppers. A third round of broccoli, cabbage and lettuce seed in August fills your winter beds. See when to start seeds indoors for the full countdown.
Gear that helps
- Seed starting kit with heat mat and grow light: Zone 9 gardeners start tomatoes and peppers twice a year
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When to plant vegetables in zone 9: crop-by-crop table
These windows are adapted from UF/IFAS (north and central Florida), Texas A&M AgriLife (Houston area), the University of Arizona (low desert) and UC Master Gardeners (Sacramento area). Where regions differ, the table gives the common window and the notes below explain the exceptions.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring planting | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | December to January; again early July | Mid-February to March | Late July to early September |
| Peppers | November to December; again June | Late February to March | August to September |
| Eggplant | November to December | March to April | August to September (Gulf, Florida) |
| Cucumbers | Optional | Late February to April | August to September |
| Summer squash | Optional | Late February to April | August to September |
| Snap beans | No | Late February to April | August to mid-September |
| Sweet corn | No | February to March (to May in the desert) | August (Gulf, Florida) |
| English peas | No | January to February | October to December |
| Lettuce | August to September for transplants | January to February | September to December |
| Spinach | No | January to February | October to December |
| Kale and collards | August | January to February | September to November |
| Broccoli | July to August | January transplants | September to November transplants |
| Cabbage | July to August | January to February | September to November |
| Carrots | No | January to February | September to December |
| Beets | No | January to February | September to December |
| Radishes | No | January to March | September to March |
| Onions (short-day) | Seed September to October | Transplants January to February | Seed or sets October to December |
| Potatoes | No | Late January to February | September to October (desert); November to February (central Florida) |
| Garlic | No | Not recommended | October to December (pre-chilled cloves) |
| Strawberries | No | Not recommended | Late September to November, grown as annuals |
| Okra | No | April to July | August (Florida) |
| Sweet potatoes | Slips | April to June | Not recommended |
| Southern peas | No | April to August | Not recommended |
Regional differences inside zone 9
- North and central Florida: UF/IFAS lists central Florida tomato plantings in January to February and again in August to September. North Florida, closer to zone 8b, plants spring tomatoes from late March to April because of late frosts.
- Houston and the Gulf Coast: Texas A&M AgriLife suggests fall tomatoes and peppers around July 1 and fall broccoli and cabbage around September 1 for this region.
- Low desert (Tucson, Mesa, Las Vegas): University of Arizona’s calendar moves cool-season crops to September through November, with tomatoes and peppers transplanted in February and March so they set fruit before summer heat.
- California’s Central Valley: summer is a main warm season, with dry heat and cool nights that tomatoes, peppers and melons handle well. Cool-season crops go in from late August to October and again in late winter.
Short-day onions and pre-chilled garlic
Zone 9 sits too far south for long-day onions. Plant short-day varieties like Granex, Texas Grano or Red Creole. Texas gardeners mostly set transplants from mid-January to February, while UF/IFAS lists bulbing onions in fall for Florida. Garlic needs cold to form bulbs, so store cloves in the refrigerator for several weeks before planting and choose softneck, Creole or Asiatic types. Our when to plant garlic guide covers the pre-chill step.
Gear that helps
- Softneck seed garlic: Softneck types perform best in warm-winter zones
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Fall and winter: your main growing season
In most of zone 9, the garden peaks between October and April. Days are warm and sunny, nights are cool, and pests like squash bugs and stink bugs fade. Broccoli, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, spinach, peas and strawberries all do their best work in this window.
Plant in waves instead of all at once. A short row of lettuce, radishes and carrots every 2 to 3 weeks from September to February gives you a steady harvest instead of a glut. Kale, collards and cabbage handle the occasional frost, while lettuce and young broccoli appreciate a frost cloth when the forecast drops below about 28°F.
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Get the guide ($27)Gear that helps
- Frost cloth / floating row cover: Covers lettuce and young broccoli on rare freeze nights
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Beat the heat: summer in zone 9
From June to September, heat and humidity on the Gulf, or extreme dry heat in the desert, shut down most crops. Treat summer as a rest-and-repair season.
- Grow only heat-lovers. Okra, sweet potatoes, southern peas, yardlong beans and hot peppers keep producing through July and August.
- Know the tomato limit. Fruit set drops when nights stay above about 75°F and days run above about 90°F. Spring tomatoes should be planted early enough to set fruit by late May.
- Use 30-50% shade cloth. It protects peppers, eggplant and young fall transplants from scorching, especially in the desert.
- Solarize. UF/IFAS recommends covering moist, bare soil with clear plastic during the warmest six weeks of summer to reduce weeds and nematodes.
- Plant a summer cover crop. Cowpeas, sunn hemp or buckwheat protect bare soil and add organic matter before fall planting.
- Water deeply and early. Drip irrigation and 3 inches of mulch save water and keep roots cooler.
Watch out: A rare hard freeze still hits zone 9 every few years, sometimes in the low 20s°F. Keep frost cloth on hand from December through February, and harvest ripe tomatoes and peppers before a freeze warning.
Gear that helps
- Shade cloth 30-50%: Protects peppers and fall transplants from summer scorch
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Common mistakes to avoid
- Following a northern calendar and planting tomatoes in May, just before the heat stops fruit set.
- Planting broccoli, lettuce and spinach in spring only. In zone 9, fall-planted cool-season crops do much better.
- Buying long-day onions, which won’t bulb this far south.
- Planting garlic without pre-chilling it, which often gives small, undivided bulbs.
- Leaving beds bare all summer, which invites weeds and nematodes.
- Assuming the desert, Gulf and Central Valley share one schedule.
FAQ
What can I plant in zone 9 right now?
From September to February, plant cool-season crops like lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, beets, spinach, peas and onions. From February to April, plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash and corn. In summer, stick with okra, sweet potatoes and southern peas.
When do you plant tomatoes in zone 9?
Transplant spring tomatoes from mid-February to March, after your last frost, and fall tomatoes from late July to early September. In north Florida and colder inland spots, spring planting shifts to March or April.
Can you grow vegetables all year in zone 9?
Yes, with a seasonal rotation. Grow cool-season crops in fall and winter, warm-season crops in spring and fall, and heat-tolerant crops like okra and sweet potatoes in summer.
When should I plant garlic in zone 9?
Plant pre-chilled garlic cloves from October to December. Softneck and Creole varieties perform best, and bulbs are usually ready in late spring.
What vegetables grow in zone 9 summer heat?
Okra, sweet potatoes, southern peas, yardlong beans, hot peppers and some eggplant handle the heat. Malabar spinach can replace lettuce for summer salads.
Keep reading
Sources
- Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103) – UF/IFAS Extension
- Texas Home Vegetable Gardening Guide – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County – University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
- Vegetable Planting Guide, Sacramento Area – UC Master Gardeners, UC ANR
- Understanding High Temperature Effects on Fruit Set of Tomatoes – Purdue Extension
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map – USDA Agricultural Research Service