Zone 11a: What Grows and How to Garden There
Zone 11a is frost-free in practice. Mangoes, avocados, papayas, bananas, Key limes and other tropical fruit grow outdoors, as do tropical shrubs and bulbs. Gardening follows the wet and dry seasons rather than frost: vegetables grow from fall through spring, and only plants that need winter cold, such as apples, peaches, tulips and peonies, are out of reach.
- Coldest winter night
- 40 to 45°F
- ZIP codes in the zone
- 122
Frost in zone 11a
In 100% of zone 11a's ZIP codes with weather records, a 32°F night happens in fewer than half of years, so frost dates do not organize the gardening year. Cool-season vegetables grow from fall through spring, and heat, not frost, ends the season for many crops. Use the planting calendar for your region: Southern California Coast, South Florida.
What a zone 11a winter means
In zone 11a the coldest night of the year averages well above freezing, so frost dates do not organize the garden. The limits are different: rainfall and the summer wet season, heat, salt wind near the coast, and occasional cool nights that can still injure tropical plants. UF/IFAS notes chilling injury on tropical plants below about 50°F. The plants you cannot grow are the ones that need a cold winter: apples, peaches, cherries, lilacs, peonies and tulips that rebloom.
Where zone 11a is
In Florida, zone 11a covers most of the Miami metro area, including Miami, Hialeah, Miami Gardens, Doral, Homestead and Miami Beach, and the coastal cities of Broward and southern Palm Beach counties such as Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Pompano Beach and Boca Raton. In California it includes a sliver of the coast around Santa Monica. In Hawaii it covers Hilo and cooler, higher communities on the Big Island such as Waimea and Volcano.
Fruit
- Mango: UF/IFAS lists zones 10A-11 and calls mango well suited to South Florida home landscapes. Flowers and small fruit can be damaged below 40°F.
- Avocado: West Indian types do best where it does not freeze; watch for laurel wilt.
- Citrus: Key lime is very cold-sensitive and suited to the warmest parts of Florida; acid citrus in general is best in central and south Florida (UF/IFAS).
- Papaya and banana: papaya thrives at 70-90°F; UF/IFAS lists nematodes, Fusarium wilt and sigatoka as problems for bananas in South Florida.
Shrubs, perennials and bulbs
Tropical and subtropical bulbs such as amaryllis, crinum, rain lilies, agapanthus and blood lily grow outdoors year after year (UF/IFAS). Choose sterile lantana cultivars: UF/IFAS lists common lantana as invasive and does not recommend it anywhere in Florida.
Special concerns
- Sandy soil and nematodes: amend with compost, rotate crops and solarize beds in summer.
- Hawaii’s cooler 11a areas: University of Hawaii trials show head lettuce grows year-round at high elevations, while lowland gardens grow it only in winter, and cool upland sites suit broccoli varieties such as ‘Waltham 29’.
Where zone 11a is
States with zone 11a ZIP codes, the largest first: Florida, California, Hawaii.
Largest cities in zone 11a
Zone 10bZone 11bAll zones and the zone finder
Questions
When is the vegetable season in Miami and South Florida?
Fall through spring. UF/IFAS notes that frost is rare in south Florida and vegetables can be grown year-round with the right planting dates, but late-summer plantings face heavy pest and disease pressure, and large-fruited tomatoes stop setting fruit once nights average about 80°F.
Can cold weather hurt tropical plants in zone 11a?
Yes, even without frost. UF/IFAS says tropical plants can suffer chilling injury below about 50°F, and some tropical palms are injured at temperatures well above freezing. Young mango trees can be killed by a brief dip to 29-30°F.
Why are avocado trees dying in South Florida?
Laurel wilt, a disease spread by an ambrosia beetle, has killed more than 13,000 commercial avocado trees in South Florida since 2012, according to UF/IFAS. Buy healthy trees from reputable nurseries and contact your county Extension office if leaves wilt and stay on the tree.