Planting windows for El Capitan Dam
Computed from El Capitan Dam's own frost dates. Click any crop for the full zone-9 growing guide — varieties, spacing, fall plantings, and more.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Transplant | Direct sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 26 – Apr 2 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Jan 8 – Jan 22 | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Feb 19 – Mar 19 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Feb 5 – Feb 19 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Feb 26 – Mar 19 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Feb 19 – Mar 5 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Feb 19 – Feb 26 | Mar 26 – Apr 2 | Mar 26 – Apr 2 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Feb 19 – Feb 26 | Mar 26 – Apr 2 | Mar 26 – Apr 2 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Mar 26 – Apr 2 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Mar 26 – Apr 2 |
| 🌿 Basil | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 26 – Apr 2 | Apr 2 – Apr 9 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Oct 27 – Nov 24 |
Want this for all 50 crops, or as a printable seed-shelf schedule? Use the planting calendar and the seed starting scheduler — both can use El Capitan Dam's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in El Capitan Dam
With roughly 264 frost-free days, El Capitan Dam gardens fit long-season crops — melons, winter squash, sweet potatoes — with room left for spring and fall rounds of greens and roots. The first frost around Dec 8 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.