Planting windows for Bakersfield
Computed from Bakersfield's own frost dates. Click any crop for the full zone-8 growing guide — varieties, spacing, fall plantings, and more.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Transplant | Direct sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Jan 11 – Jan 25 | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Feb 22 – Mar 22 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Feb 8 – Feb 22 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Mar 1 – Mar 22 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Feb 22 – Mar 1 | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | Mar 29 – Apr 5 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Feb 22 – Mar 1 | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | Mar 29 – Apr 5 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Mar 29 – Apr 5 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Mar 29 – Apr 5 |
| 🌿 Basil | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | Apr 5 – Apr 12 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Sep 30 – Oct 28 |
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 Bakersfield's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Bakersfield
With roughly 234 frost-free days, Bakersfield 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 Nov 11 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.