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Southern California Coast planting calendar

The ocean-influenced coastal plain from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border, where marine air keeps winters frost-free or nearly so and summers mild, often with gray, cool mornings into early summer.

What to plant each month in Southern California Coast

The main vegetable season is the cool half of the year: October through March is prime time for greens, roots, peas and cole crops, and many of them can be sown almost year-round because summers rarely get hot. Warm-season crops go in from about March or April through early summer, but 'May gray' and 'June gloom' keep soils cool, so heat lovers such as melons, peppers and eggplant ripen more slowly than inland. Nearly all rain falls between November and March, so summer crops depend entirely on irrigation. The months below follow the planting calendar for Southern California Coast from the Cooperative Extension sources listed.

  1. January

    Plant: asparagus, azaleas, beets, blackberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chives, collard greens, grapes, green onions, hollyhocks, kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, poppies, potatoes, radishes, raspberries, rhubarb, roses, snapdragons, spinach, strawberries, sweet peas, swiss chard, turnips, wildflowers

  2. February

    Plant: asparagus, azaleas, bearded irises, beets, black-eyed susans, blackberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, chives, cilantro, collard greens, cosmos, dahlias, daylilies, dill, gladioli, grapes, green onions, hollyhocks, kale, lavenders, leeks, lettuce, marigolds, nasturtiums, onions, parsley, peas, petunias, poppies, potatoes, radishes, raspberries, roses, snapdragons, spinach, strawberries, sweet peas, swiss chard, turnips, wildflowers, zucchini

  3. March

    Plant: asparagus, avocados, basil, bearded irises, beets, black-eyed susans, blackberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, chives, cilantro, collard greens, cosmos, dahlias, daylilies, dill, gladioli, green onions, hollyhocks, kale, lavenders, lettuce, marigolds, mints, nasturtiums, oregano, parsley, peas, petunias, poppies, potatoes, radishes, raspberries, rosemary, sage, snapdragons, spinach, strawberries, sunflowers, sweet peas, swiss chard, thyme, tomatoes, turnips, wildflowers, winter squash, zinnias, zucchini

  4. April

    Plant: avocados, basil, bearded irises, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, cilantro, cosmos, cucumbers, dahlias, daylilies, dill, eggplants, gladioli, green onions, hollyhocks, lavenders, lilies, marigolds, mints, nasturtiums, okra, oregano, peppers, petunias, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, rosemary, sage, sunflowers, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, thyme, tomatoes, watermelons, winter squash, zinnias, zucchini

  5. May

    Plant: avocados, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, cosmos, cucumbers, dahlias, eggplants, gladioli, green onions, hollyhocks, marigolds, nasturtiums, okra, peppers, petunias, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, rosemary, sunflowers, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, tomatoes, watermelons, winter squash, zinnias, zucchini

  6. June

    Plant: avocados, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, cosmos, cucumbers, eggplants, gladioli, hollyhocks, lavenders, marigolds, nasturtiums, okra, peppers, petunias, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, sunflowers, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, tomatoes, watermelons, winter squash, zinnias, zucchini

  7. July

    Plant: basil, beets, carrots, cosmos, cucumbers, dill, marigolds, nasturtiums, peppers, petunias, radishes, sweet corn, swiss chard, tomatoes, zinnias, zucchini

  8. August

    Plant: bearded irises, beets, black-eyed susans, carrots, celery, cosmos, cucumbers, daylilies, hollyhocks, lilies, marigolds, nasturtiums, petunias, poppies, radishes, snapdragons, sweet corn, sweet peas, swiss chard, zinnias, zucchini

  9. September

    Plant: bearded irises, beets, black-eyed susans, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, daylilies, green onions, hollyhocks, leeks, lilies, poppies, radishes, saffron, snapdragons, sweet peas, swiss chard, zucchini

  10. October

    Plant: azaleas, beets, black-eyed susans, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chives, collard greens, garlic, green onions, hollyhocks, kale, leeks, lettuce, parsley, peas, poppies, radishes, sage, snapdragons, spinach, strawberries, sweet peas, swiss chard, thyme, turnips, wildflowers

  11. November

    Plant: azaleas, beets, black-eyed susans, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chives, cilantro, collard greens, crocuses, garlic, green onions, hollyhocks, hyacinths, kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, poppies, radishes, snapdragons, spinach, strawberries, sweet peas, swiss chard, tulips, turnips, wildflowers

  12. December

    Plant: azaleas, beets, blackberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chives, collard greens, crocuses, garlic, grapes, green onions, hollyhocks, hyacinths, kale, leeks, lettuce, nasturtiums, onions, parsley, peas, poppies, radishes, raspberries, rhubarb, snapdragons, spinach, strawberries, sweet peas, swiss chard, tulips, turnips, wildflowers

Sources for the Southern California Coast calendar

Planting months by plant

PlantPlant inGroup
AsparagusJan–MarVegetables
AvocadosMar–JunFruit
AzaleasOct–FebFlowers & bulbs
BasilMar–Apr, JulHerbs
Bearded IrisesFeb–Apr, Aug–SepFlowers & bulbs
BeetsJan–DecVegetables
Black-eyed SusansFeb–Mar, Aug–NovFlowers & bulbs
BlackberriesDec–MarFruit
BroccoliSep–MarVegetables
Brussels SproutsSep–MarVegetables
CabbagesOct–MarVegetables
CantaloupesApr–JunVegetables
CarrotsJan–DecVegetables
CauliflowerOct–FebVegetables
CeleryAug–JanVegetables
ChivesOct–MarHerbs
CilantroFeb–Apr, NovHerbs
Collard GreensOct–MarVegetables
CosmosFeb–AugFlowers & bulbs
CrocusesNov–DecFlowers & bulbs
CucumbersApr–AugVegetables
DahliasFeb–MayFlowers & bulbs
DayliliesFeb–Apr, Aug–SepFlowers & bulbs
DillFeb–Apr, JulHerbs
EggplantsApr–JunVegetables
GarlicOct–DecVegetables
GladioliFeb–JunFlowers & bulbs
GrapesDec–FebFruit
Green OnionsSep–MayVegetables
HollyhocksAug–JunFlowers & bulbs
HyacinthsNov–DecFlowers & bulbs
KaleOct–MarVegetables
LavendersFeb–Apr, JunHerbs
LeeksSep–FebVegetables
LettuceOct–MarVegetables
LiliesApr, Aug–SepFlowers & bulbs
MarigoldsFeb–AugFlowers & bulbs
MintsMar–AprHerbs
NasturtiumsFeb–Aug, DecFlowers & bulbs
OkraApr–JunVegetables
OnionsNov–FebVegetables
OreganoMar–AprHerbs
ParsleyOct–MarHerbs
PeasOct–MarVegetables
PeppersApr–JulVegetables
PetuniasFeb–AugFlowers & bulbs
PoppiesAug–MarFlowers & bulbs
PotatoesJan–JunVegetables
PumpkinsApr–JunVegetables
RadishesJan–DecVegetables
RaspberriesDec–MarFruit
RhubarbDec–JanVegetables
RosemaryMar–MayHerbs
RosesJan–FebFlowers & bulbs
SaffronSepHerbs
SageMar–Apr, OctHerbs
SnapdragonsAug–MarFlowers & bulbs
SpinachOct–MarVegetables
StrawberriesOct–MarFruit
SunflowersMar–JunFlowers & bulbs
Sweet CornApr–AugVegetables
Sweet PeasAug–MarFlowers & bulbs
Sweet PotatoesApr–JunVegetables
Swiss ChardJan–DecVegetables
ThymeMar–Apr, OctHerbs
TomatoesMar–JulVegetables
TulipsNov–DecFlowers & bulbs
TurnipsOct–MarVegetables
WatermelonsApr–JunVegetables
WildflowersOct–MarFlowers & bulbs
Winter SquashMar–JunVegetables
ZinniasMar–AugFlowers & bulbs
ZucchiniFeb–SepVegetables

Cities in Southern California Coast

Which places belong to this region: California cities on the coastal plain within reach of marine air (roughly Sunset zones 22-24, UC San Diego guide 'coastal' Regions 1-2): Santa Barbara south coast (south of the Santa Ynez Mountains, lat < 34.5); Ventura County's Oxnard Plain (Ventura, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Camarillo: west of about 119.0 W and south of 34.30 N); Los Angeles County south and west of the San Gabriel Valley and Santa Monica Mountains (LA basin, Westside, South Bay, Long Beach, Gateway cities such as Downey, Whittier, Montebello) - i.e. LA County cities with lat < 34.12 N that are not in the San Gabriel Valley (the San Gabriel Valley = lat >= 34.04 N and east of about 118.16 W, assigned inland); all of Orange County; and western San Diego County (coast plus the hill-and-mesa belt: San Diego, Chula Vista, National City, La Mesa, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista) - i.e. San Diego County west of 117.0 W, and north of 32.95 N only if west of 117.2 W. Everything else non-desert in Southern California goes to california-south-inland.