Zone 9 flips the northern gardening calendar. Fall and winter are the main vegetable seasons — lettuce, broccoli, carrots and strawberries thrive from October to March — while midsummer heat, not frost, is what shuts the garden down. Spring is a short, busy window for tomatoes, peppers and squash before temperatures climb. This calendar runs January through December with what to start, sow, plant and harvest, plus lawn, bulb and tree and shrub tasks. Where frost is a factor, timings are tied to your local frost dates. Confirm your zone below.
In this guide
Key Takeaways
- Zone 9 means an average coldest winter night of 20°F to 30°F. Frost happens in many zone 9 areas but not every year, and timing varies widely — check your local date.
- Grow cool-season vegetables from September through March; plant tomatoes, peppers and squash in late winter to early spring once frost risk passes.
- Summer is for heat-tolerant crops only: okra, southern peas, sweet potatoes, yardlong beans, Malabar spinach — or rest beds under a cover crop.
- Start a second round of tomatoes and peppers in mid- to late summer for fall transplanting.
- Zone 9 spans humid Florida and the Gulf Coast, the Texas coastal plain, the Arizona low desert and much of California. Humidity and rainfall change what works, so use a regional extension calendar too.
How to Use This Calendar
Your hardiness zone measures winter cold, so it’s the right guide for choosing shrubs, citrus and perennials (see our zone 9 plants list) but not for vegetable timing. In zone 9, frost is irregular: some locations see a few frosty nights most winters, others go years without one. As a cautious, general range, where frost does occur the average last frost often falls somewhere from January to early March and the first frost from late November into December. That varies a lot with distance from the coast, elevation and cold-air pockets, so look up your local average from your extension service or NOAA.
Use these anchors:
- If you get frost: start tomatoes and peppers indoors 6–9 weeks before your average last frost and transplant about 2 weeks after it. Cool-season crops can go out from fall through winter, with cover on freeze nights.
- If frost is rare where you live: time spring warm-season planting by soil temperature and your regional extension calendar instead of a frost date.
- For fall: count back from when summer heat breaks rather than from a frost date. Most cool-season crops germinate poorly in very hot soil.
UF/IFAS Extension’s Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide is a strong model. It splits Florida into North, Central and South regions and notes that North Florida gardeners in particular should watch for late frosts. The University of Arizona’s low-desert calendar for Maricopa County describes the same two-season pattern — one spring season, one fall season — with summer heat as the barrier. Our vegetable gardening hub has crop-by-crop guides.
Winter: January and February
January
- Start indoors: Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant for spring transplanting, 6–9 weeks before your last frost or planned transplant date. Our seed-starting guide covers the setup.
- Sow or plant outdoors: Lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes, kale, collards and cabbage. Plant potatoes and English or snap peas — UF lists both for January through March in North Florida.
- Harvest: Broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, spinach, strawberries starting to ripen.
- Trees and shrubs: Plant bare-root fruit trees and roses. Prune deciduous fruit trees like peaches and plums while dormant.
- Garden tasks: Cover citrus, tender tropicals and young plants on forecast freeze nights; see how to protect plants from frost.
February
- Sow or plant outdoors: In warmer zone 9 locations, transplant tomatoes and peppers after your frost risk passes; UF lists tomatoes for January to February in Central Florida and late March to April in North Florida. Sow bush and pole beans, sweet corn, cucumbers and summer squash once soil warms.
- Lawn: Apply crabgrass preventer to warm-season lawns in late winter before soil reaches about 55°F.
- Trees and shrubs: Prune roses and crape myrtles (thin, don’t top — crape myrtle pruning guide). Feed citrus as growth starts; see how to fertilize citrus trees.
- Harvest: Last broccoli and cauliflower, peas, lettuce, strawberries.
Spring: March, April and May
March
- Sow or plant outdoors: Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in cooler zone 9 sites; cantaloupe and watermelon; sweet potato slips once soil is warm; okra and southern peas from late March.
- Harvest: Potatoes as foliage yellows, peas, carrots, beets, the last cool-season greens before they bolt.
- Lawn: Let St. Augustine, Bahia, Bermuda, zoysia and centipede fully green up before the first feeding.
- Flowers and bulbs: Plant caladiums, cannas, gladiolus and dahlias.
April
- Sow or plant outdoors: The tomato window is closing — fruit set drops once nights stay warm. Shift to okra, southern peas, sweet potatoes, yardlong beans, Malabar spinach and hot peppers.
- Harvest: Beans, summer squash, cucumbers, early tomatoes, onions.
- Garden tasks: Mulch 2–3 inches with straw, leaves or pine straw. UF advises against fresh wood mulch and undecomposed sawdust in vegetable beds.
- Lawn: Fertilize warm-season grass after green-up; follow your state’s rules on timing and phosphorus.
May
- Sow or plant outdoors: Heat-tolerant crops only. UF’s Central Florida column lists okra, southern peas and sweet potatoes into summer.
- Harvest: Tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, cucumbers, melons beginning.
- Lawn: Late spring through summer is the best time to lay sod or plug warm-season grasses, while they’re actively growing.
- Garden tasks: Water deeply in the morning. In dry, hot regions such as the low desert, shade cloth helps peppers and tomatoes through the hottest weeks.
Summer: June, July and August
June
- Sow or plant outdoors: More sweet potatoes, okra and southern peas. Many gardeners plant a summer cover crop such as cowpeas on empty beds, or solarize beds under clear plastic to suppress weeds before fall planting.
- Harvest: Okra, peppers, eggplant, melons, the last spring tomatoes.
- Trees and shrubs: In hurricane-prone areas, remove dead or weak limbs before storm season peaks. Plant palms and tropicals during warm, rainy months.
July
- Start indoors or in shade: Tomatoes and peppers for fall transplanting. Pumpkins can be direct-sown in July; UF lists early July for North Florida and mid-July for Central.
- Harvest: Sweet potatoes from spring planting, okra, peppers, southern peas.
- Garden tasks: Order seed for fall. Keep beds weeded and mulched through the rainy season.
August
- Sow or plant outdoors: Transplant fall tomatoes and peppers; UF gives August for North Florida tomatoes and August to September for Central. Sow beans, cucumbers and summer squash for fall.
- Start indoors: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and collards for fall transplants.
- Garden tasks: UF notes that August and September plantings face heat-loving insects and diseases. Arizona Extension recommends delaying fall planting until whitefly numbers decline with cooler weather. Use row cover over young plants.
Fall: September, October and November
September
- Sow or plant outdoors: The main season starts. Sow carrots, beets, radishes, arugula, kale, mustard, collards, turnips and lettuce, and transplant broccoli and cabbage. UF lists most of these for September through February or March in North and Central Florida.
- Lawn: Stop fertilizing warm-season grass by early fall so it isn’t pushed into soft growth before cool weather.
- Trees and shrubs: Fall through winter is the best time to plant trees and shrubs in zone 9, while roots can establish before summer heat.
October
- Sow or plant outdoors: Short-day bulbing onions — UF says bulbing onions must be planted in fall and be short-day types. Strawberries (UF gives September 25–October 25 for Central and October–November for North Florida). Spinach, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and celery. Garlic in mild-winter areas.
- Flowers and bulbs: Plant pansies, petunias, snapdragons, calendulas and sweet alyssum for winter color. Buy tulips and hyacinths and pre-chill them in the refrigerator for several weeks, away from fruit.
- Lawn: Overseed dormant Bermuda with ryegrass if you want winter green (how to overseed Bermuda).
November
- Sow or plant outdoors: Peas and potatoes in Central Florida-type climates (UF lists November–February for both). More lettuce, carrots and greens every 2–3 weeks.
- Harvest: Fall tomatoes and peppers, radishes, arugula, baby greens, first broccoli.
- Garden tasks: Watch forecasts in colder zone 9 pockets; first frosts can arrive late November to December.
Early Winter: December
- Sow or plant outdoors: Lettuce, kale, cabbage, mustard and onions continue. Plant pre-chilled tulips and hyacinths late in the month.
- Harvest: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, beets, collards, kale.
- Trees and shrubs: Plant bare-root roses and fruit trees as nurseries stock them. Protect citrus from freezes.
Regional Differences Within Zone 9
The same zone number covers very different summers, so adjust the calendar to your region:
- Humid Southeast and Gulf Coast: summer rain and humidity bring fungal disease and heavy insect pressure. Favor resistant varieties, wide spacing and fall planting.
- Low desert: the problem is dry heat and intense sun. Arizona Extension suggests checking for soil temperatures of about 65°F to 85°F for many common vegetables, and using shade or extra humidity to grow outside the main seasons.
- California inland valleys and coast: winter rain and dry summers mean irrigation all summer. Cooler coastal sites ripen tomatoes slowly, so pick earlier varieties there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does zone 9 get frost?
Many zone 9 locations get at least occasional frost, but not every winter, and timing varies widely. Where frost occurs, it’s most likely from late November through February. The zone only tells you the average coldest night (20°F to 30°F), so look up your local frost history.
When should I plant tomatoes in zone 9?
Twice a year in most places. Transplant in late winter to early spring, after your frost risk passes, so plants set fruit before summer heat. Plant again in August or September for a fall crop. UF/IFAS lists January–February and August–September for Central Florida, and late March–April and August for North Florida.
What vegetables grow in zone 9 in summer?
Okra, southern peas, sweet potatoes, yardlong beans, Malabar spinach, hot peppers and some eggplant handle summer heat. Most other crops struggle. Many gardeners rest beds with a cover crop or solarize them over summer and plant the main garden in fall.
What can I plant in zone 9 in October?
Most cool-season crops: lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, carrots, beets, radishes, spinach, short-day onions and strawberries. Check that soil has cooled enough for germination, and use row cover against pests.
Can I grow tulips in zone 9?
Only as annuals. Winters aren’t cold enough to chill bulbs, so pre-chill them in the refrigerator for several weeks and plant in late December to January. Expect one season of bloom; amaryllis and other warm-climate bulbs are better long-term choices.
Related: what planting zone am I in, the USDA hardiness zone map, when to plant vegetables, and the zone 8 and zone 10 calendars.
Sources
- UF/IFAS Extension, Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (VH021) — planting dates for North, Central and South Florida.
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County (AZ1005).
- Purdue Extension, Starting Seeds Indoors (HO-14-W).
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.