Planting windows for Palo Alto
Computed from Palo Alto'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 | Dec 7 – Dec 21 | Feb 8 – Feb 15 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Nov 23 – Dec 7 | Feb 15 – Feb 22 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Dec 21 – Jan 4 | Jan 4 – Jan 18 | Jan 4 – Feb 1 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Dec 21 – Jan 4 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Jan 11 – Feb 1 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Dec 14 – Dec 28 | Jan 11 – Jan 25 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Dec 21 – Jan 4 | Jan 4 – Jan 18 | Jan 4 – Jan 18 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Jan 4 – Jan 11 | Feb 8 – Feb 15 | Feb 8 – Feb 15 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Jan 4 – Jan 11 | Feb 8 – Feb 15 | Feb 8 – Feb 15 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Feb 8 – Feb 15 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Feb 8 – Feb 15 |
| 🌿 Basil | Dec 21 – Jan 4 | Feb 8 – Feb 15 | Feb 15 – Feb 22 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Oct 26 – Nov 23 |
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 Palo Alto's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Palo Alto
With roughly 309 frost-free days, Palo Alto 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 7 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.