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Zone 9b: What Grows and How to Garden There

Zone 9b is citrus country: oranges, grapefruit, mandarins and kumquats grow in the ground in most years, along with figs, loquats, low-chill peaches and southern highbush blueberries. Bananas and papayas are possible but may be frozen back in some winters. Fall through spring is the main vegetable season, because summer heat shuts down tomatoes.

Coldest winter night
25 to 30°F
ZIP codes in the zone
1,474
Typical last frost
January 31
Typical first frost
December 9
Frost-free season
About 328 days

Frost dates in zone 9b

Hardiness zones measure winter cold, so places in one zone can have quite different springs. Across zone 9b, the typical last frost ranges from about January 12 to March 1, and the first fall frost from January 8 to December 28 (the earliest and latest tenth of ZIP codes). For a typical place in the zone:

  • December 18Risky: a later frost happens in 9 years out of 10
  • January 31Typical last frost
  • March 1Safe: a later frost only 1 year in 10

What a zone 9b winter means

In zone 9b, frost comes in most years but hard freezes are uncommon. That makes it the coldest zone where most citrus grows in the ground without routine protection; Arizona Extension lists 9b and 10a as zones where citrus can be grown safely. It is also where fruit that needs winter chill becomes hard: in central Florida, UF/IFAS counted about 350 chill units near Orlando in the 2010-11 winter but only about 80 in the warm winter of 2006-07.

Where zone 9b is

Zone 9b takes in Houston, New Orleans and the coastal plain of Texas and Louisiana; Laredo; Jacksonville and Tampa; Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale and Glendale; Henderson in the Las Vegas valley; and much of California’s Central Valley and Bay Area, including Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno, Bakersfield, San Jose and Oakland.

Fruit

  • Citrus: oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and tangelos may survive about 20°F (Arizona). Satsumas and kumquats are hardier. Avoid pruning freeze damage until spring growth shows what died.
  • Peaches: low-chill UF cultivars such as ‘UFSun’ and ‘UFBest’ (about 100 chill units) suit central Florida; UF/IFAS says they ripen in about 80 days from bloom.
  • Blueberries: UF/IFAS says southern highbush is best south of Ocala and north of Sebring, with cultivars such as ‘Emerald’ and ‘Jewel’.
  • Figs, loquats, persimmons and pomegranates need little or no chill.
  • Bananas and papaya: see the FAQ.

Perennials, bulbs and shrubs

Azaleas, camellias, crape myrtles and perennial salvias, which UF/IFAS says bloom year-round unless frost knocks them back, all do well. Tulips are annuals from pre-chilled bulbs. Peonies and lilacs fail in mild-winter areas such as south Louisiana (LSU).

Special concerns

  • Heat: large-fruited tomatoes stop setting fruit once nights average about 80°F (UF/IFAS); plant in late winter.
  • Nematodes and sand: in Florida, root-knot nematodes attack tomatoes, okra, beans, peppers and cucurbits. UF/IFAS recommends rotation, resistant varieties, compost and summer solarization for at least 6 weeks.
  • Freezes: when one is forecast, water the soil beforehand, cover tender plants with fabric that reaches the ground, and remove plastic on sunny days (UF/IFAS).

What to plant each month in zone 9b

For a typical place in the zone. Your own dates may be a couple of weeks earlier or later; enter your ZIP code to see them.

  1. January

    Start indoors: basil, celery, cilantro, eggplants, ginger, marigolds, nasturtiums, peppers, ranunculus, tomatoes

    Plant or sow outdoors: asparagus, avocados, beets, black-eyed susans, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, chives, cilantro, collard greens, dahlias, dill, figs, garden mums, garlic, gladioli, grapes, grass seed, green onions, hollyhocks, kale, kentucky bluegrass, lavenders, leeks, lettuce, lilies, marigolds, mints, nasturtiums, onions, oregano, parsley, peas, petunias, poppies, potatoes, radishes, ranunculus, raspberries, rhubarb, rosemary, roses, sage, snapdragons, spinach, strawberries, sunflowers, sweet corn, sweet peas, swiss chard, tall fescue, thyme, turnips, wildflowers

  2. February

    Start indoors: basil, cantaloupes, cosmos, cucumbers, okra, pumpkins, watermelons, winter squash, zucchini

    Plant or sow outdoors: avocados, chives, cilantro, dahlias, dill, garden mums, ginger, gladioli, grapes, green onions, lavenders, lettuce, lilies, marigolds, mints, nasturtiums, oregano, parsley, petunias, ranunculus, rosemary, sage, spinach, sunflowers, sweet corn, swiss chard, thyme

  3. March

    Start indoors: cosmos, okra, zinnias

    Plant or sow outdoors: basil, bermudagrass, cantaloupes, celery, centipedegrass, cosmos, cucumbers, eggplants, ginger, green beans, okra, peanuts, peppers, pumpkins, st. augustinegrass, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons, winter squash, zoysiagrass, zucchini

  4. April

    Start indoors: zinnias

    Plant or sow outdoors: bermudagrass, celery, centipedegrass, cosmos, okra, peanuts, st. augustinegrass, sweet potatoes, zinnias, zoysiagrass

  5. May

    Plant or sow outdoors: bermudagrass, centipedegrass, zinnias, zoysiagrass

  6. August

    Plant for fall: peppers, tomatoes

  7. September

    Plant for fall: bearded irises, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, peas, peppers, radishes, snapdragons, spinach, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, zucchini

  8. October

    Start indoors: onions

    Plant for fall: azaleas, bearded irises, beets, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, clematis, coneflowers, crocuses, daffodils, daylilies, grass seed, hostas, hydrangeas, kale, kentucky bluegrass, lettuce, lilies, ornamental alliums, peonies, perennial ryegrass, radishes, roses, saffron, snapdragons, spinach, swiss chard, tall fescue, tulips, turnips

  9. November

    Start indoors: broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, leeks, onions, oregano, parsley, petunias, ranunculus, rosemary, snapdragons

    Plant for fall: cabbages, cauliflower, crocuses, daffodils, daylilies, grass seed, hostas, hyacinths, kale, kentucky bluegrass, lilies, ornamental alliums, peonies, perennial ryegrass, radishes, saffron, spinach, tall fescue, tulips

  10. December

    Start indoors: black-eyed susans, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, chives, cilantro, collard greens, ginger, leeks, lettuce, marigolds, nasturtiums, oregano, parsley, peppers, petunias, ranunculus, rosemary, sage, snapdragons, spinach, swiss chard

    Plant or sow outdoors: asparagus, black-eyed susans, blueberries, garlic, grapes, grass seed, green onions, hollyhocks, kale, kentucky bluegrass, onions, peas, poppies, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, sweet peas, tall fescue, turnips, wildflowers

    Plant for fall: crocuses, daffodils, garlic, hyacinths, lilies, ornamental alliums, peonies, tulips

Planting schedules for zone 9b

Where zone 9b is

States with zone 9b ZIP codes, the largest first: California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Louisiana, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, Alabama, Washington.

Largest cities in zone 9b

Zone 9aZone 10aAll zones and the zone finder

Questions

Can I grow lemons and limes in zone 9b?

With some risk. Arizona Extension says citrus can safely be grown in zones 9b and 10a, but lemons, limes and citrons are the least cold-tolerant and are damaged below about 25°F. Plant them on the warm side of the house and have frost covers ready; oranges, grapefruit and mandarins handle about 20°F.

When is the vegetable growing season in zone 9b?

Mostly fall, winter and spring. UF/IFAS says Florida gardens can produce year-round with the right planting dates, but crops planted in August and September face hot-weather pests. The Phoenix area has two seasons, spring and fall, and Arizona Extension advises waiting to plant in fall until whiteflies decline.

Will a banana or papaya survive the winter in zone 9b?

Bananas are usually frozen back by frost but regrow in spring (UF/IFAS). Papaya is damaged below about 31°F and grows best in zones 9b-11, so in 9b it tends to be short-lived.