Planting windows for Santa Barbara
Computed from Santa Barbara's own frost dates. Click any crop for the full zone-10 growing guide — varieties, spacing, fall plantings, and more.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Transplant | Direct sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Nov 18 – Dec 2 | Jan 20 – Jan 27 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Nov 4 – Nov 18 | Jan 27 – Feb 3 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Dec 2 – Dec 16 | Dec 16 – Dec 30 | Dec 16 – Jan 13 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Dec 2 – Dec 16 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Dec 23 – Jan 13 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Nov 25 – Dec 9 | Dec 23 – Jan 6 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Dec 2 – Dec 16 | Dec 16 – Dec 30 | Dec 16 – Dec 30 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Dec 16 – Dec 23 | Jan 20 – Jan 27 | Jan 20 – Jan 27 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Dec 16 – Dec 23 | Jan 20 – Jan 27 | Jan 20 – Jan 27 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Jan 20 – Jan 27 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Jan 20 – Jan 27 |
| 🌿 Basil | Dec 2 – Dec 16 | Jan 20 – Jan 27 | Jan 27 – Feb 3 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Nov 25 – Dec 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 Santa Barbara's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Santa Barbara
With roughly 358 frost-free days, Santa Barbara 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 Jan 6 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.