Zone 10 planting calendar

Typical frost dates for USDA hardiness zone 10, and a month-by-month table of when to start seeds and plant out. Your own dates depend on your location within the zone, so use these as a starting point.

Zone 10 at a glance

Median last spring frost (example stations)Jan 5 – Jan 25

Median first fall frostJan 2 – Jan 16

Freeze-free days355–365

In the warmest zones the first freeze of the cold season often comes in December or January, so "first fall frost" here can be a date after New Year.

From NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals for 10 example stations in zone 10 (32°F threshold, 50% probability); 2 stations list no spring freeze date and are excluded from the frost-date ranges.

Zone 10 is about winter cold, not spring frost

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map divides the country by the average coldest winter night: each zone covers 10°F, and the "a" and "b" halves cover 5°F each. Zone 10 is the right guide for choosing perennials that survive the winter. It is only a rough guide to planting dates, because places with similar winter lows can have very different springs. That is why this page gives a range of frost dates rather than a single date, and why the frost date for your own location is a better input for the seed starting calculator.

In zone 10 a freeze is rare. The NOAA normals list no spring freeze date at all for the Los Angeles and Long Beach stations, and the Florida, Texas and Arizona examples have median last-freeze dates in January. Here, summer heat and the rainy season set the calendar more than frost does. The UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide lists a South Florida tomato planting window from August to February, and says bulbing onions there should be short-day varieties planted in fall. Use the frost-based table below as a reference, then follow your state extension service's planting calendar.

Typical frost dates in zone 10

The table lists example cities whose airport or city weather station falls in zone 10. "Last frost" is the date after which a 32°F freeze has a 50% chance of still happening; the "1-in-10" column is the date after which there is only a 10% chance. Planting tender crops after the 1-in-10 date is the cautious choice.

Frost dates for example cities in zone 10
City (station)	Zone	Last frost (median)	Last frost (1-in-10 later)	First fall frost (median)	Freeze-free days
Los Angeles (LAX), CA	10b	none listed	—	none listed	365
Long Beach, CA	10b	none listed	—	none listed	365
Phoenix, AZ	10a	Jan 5	Jan 22	Jan 3	365
Brownsville, TX	10a	Jan 6	Feb 1	Jan 2	365
McAllen, TX	10a	Jan 9	Feb 13	Jan 3	365
Sarasota–Bradenton, FL	10a	Jan 15	Feb 8	Jan 10	365
Fort Myers, FL	10a	Jan 17	Feb 6	Jan 16	365
Tampa, FL	10a	Jan 20	Feb 10	Jan 12	365
Vero Beach, FL	10a	Jan 24	Feb 27	Jan 13	365
Orlando, FL	10a	Jan 25	Feb 26	Jan 10	355

Zone shown is the 2023 USDA zone for the ZIP code nearest each weather station, via PRISM data. Frost dates are NOAA 1991–2020 normals for that station. Dates for nearby gardens can differ by a week or more with elevation, slope and distance from water. Find your own station on NOAA's map (see how to find your frost dates).

Month by month: what to start when in zone 10

This table uses the middle example above, Sarasota–Bradenton, FL (median last frost Jan 15), and the University of New Hampshire Extension seed-starting timings. If your last frost is a week later, move everything a week later.

Month-by-month seed starting for zone 10
Month	Start seeds indoors	Plant transplants out	Direct sowing reminders
October	Onions (Oct 9–Oct 23) Parsley (Oct 16–Oct 23) Spinach (Oct 23–Nov 6)	—	—
November	Broccoli (Nov 6–Nov 20) Cabbage (Nov 6–Nov 20) Kale (Nov 6–Nov 20) Lettuce (Nov 13–Nov 20) Peppers (Nov 20–Dec 4) Eggplant (Nov 20–Dec 4) Cauliflower (Nov 20–Dec 4) Tomatoes (Nov 27–Dec 11)	—	—
December	Basil (Dec 4–Dec 18) Cucumbers (Dec 25–Jan 1)	Spinach (Dec 4–Dec 25) Broccoli (Dec 18–Jan 1) Cabbage (Dec 18) Lettuce (Dec 18–Dec 25) Kale (Dec 18) Onions (Dec 18) Parsley (Dec 25–Jan 1)	Spinach, lettuce, kale: direct sow once the soil can be worked (see guides)
January	Squash & zucchini (Jan 1–Jan 8) Melons (Jan 1–Jan 8)	Cauliflower (Jan 1) Tomatoes (Jan 22–Jan 29) Cucumbers (Jan 22–Jan 29) Peppers (Jan 29) Eggplant (Jan 29–Feb 5) Squash & zucchini (Jan 29) Melons (Jan 29) Basil (Jan 29)	Cucumbers, squash: direct sow once soil reaches 70°F, usually after this date Melons: direct sow or transplant once soil is at least 65°F

Open this schedule in the calculator

Direct-sowing reminders follow the soil-temperature rules in each crop guide (for example, 70°F soil for cucumbers and squash), so the real date depends on your weather. In zones 9 and 10 many crops are also grown through fall and winter, so check your state extension service's planting calendar as well.

Crop guides

Frequently asked questions

When is the last frost in zone 10?

It depends on where you are in the zone. Among the 10 example weather stations on this page, the median last spring freeze (32°F, 1991–2020 NOAA normals) ranges from Jan 5 to Jan 25, and 2 stations have no spring freeze date listed. Look up the station nearest you for a better estimate.

When should I start tomato seeds in zone 10?

For the middle example on this page (last frost Jan 15, Sarasota–Bradenton, FL), the University of New Hampshire Extension timing gives an indoor sowing window of Nov 27–Dec 11 and setting out Jan 22–Jan 29. Shift those dates by the difference between your own last frost date and Jan 15.

Is my hardiness zone the same as my frost date?

No. USDA hardiness zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature. They tell you which perennials survive winter, not when spring frosts end, which is why frost dates vary so much within one zone.

Sources

Station data retrieved from NOAA NCEI on 22 Oct 2026. Last reviewed 2026-10-23. Found an error? Tell us.