San Diego, CA Planting Dates — Moon Phase Garden

The four dates that matter

Date	When	What it means
Last spring frost (50%)	Jan 6	Half of all years see a freeze after this date. It is an average, not a guarantee.
Last spring frost (10%)	Feb 5	Only one year in ten freezes after this. Use it for anything you cannot afford to replant.
First fall frost (50%)	Dec 31	Half of all years freeze before this date. Fall crops are counted back from here.
First fall frost (10%)	Dec 11	An early-freeze year. If a crop must finish, aim to harvest before this.

USDA zone 10b 359 frost-free days Elevation 515 ft Station San Diego Brown Fld

Spring & summer planting in San Diego

A mild-winter note. San Diego's last frost lands so early that several of these windows fall in late autumn of the previous calendar year — that is not a mistake, it is how a long season works here. Read this table together with the fall one below rather than as two separate seasons.

Dates are calculated from this location's own last-frost date, not from a generic zone chart. “Best moon days” are the days inside each window that fall in the crop's traditional phase — the same rule the app uses.

Crop	Start seed indoors	Plant outdoors	Best moon days	Days to harvest
Cucumber either	Dec 16	Jan 6 – Feb 5	Jan 25 First Quarter	50–70
Green Beans (bush) direct sow	—	Jan 6 – Feb 20	Jan 25 First Quarter	50–65
Oregano transplant	Nov 11	Jan 6 – Jan 27	Jan 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Sage transplant	Nov 11	Jan 6 – Jan 27	Jan 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Sweet Corn direct sow	—	Jan 6 – Feb 20	Jan 25 First Quarter	60–100
Thyme transplant	Nov 11	Jan 6 – Jan 27	Jan 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Zucchini / Summer Squash either	Dec 16	Jan 6 – Feb 5	Jan 25 First Quarter	45–60
Basil either	Nov 25	Jan 13 – Feb 5	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	30–60
Dry Beans direct sow	—	Jan 13 – Feb 10	Jan 25 First Quarter	85–100
Pole Beans direct sow	—	Jan 13 – Feb 15	Jan 25 First Quarter	60–75
Pumpkin direct sow	Dec 16	Jan 13 – Feb 10	Jan 25 First Quarter	90–120
Rosemary transplant	Jan 6	Jan 13 – Feb 5	Jan 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Tomatillo transplant	Nov 25	Jan 13 – Feb 5	Jan 25 First Quarter	60–75
Tomato transplant	Nov 25	Jan 13 – Feb 5	Jan 25 First Quarter	60–85
Winter Squash direct sow	Dec 16	Jan 13 – Feb 10	Jan 25 First Quarter	85–110
Cantaloupe / Muskmelon either	Dec 16	Jan 20 – Feb 10	Jan 25 First Quarter	75–90
Eggplant transplant	Nov 11	Jan 20 – Feb 10	Jan 25 First Quarter	60–90
Okra direct sow	Dec 9	Jan 20 – Feb 15	Jan 25 First Quarter	50–70
Pepper transplant	Nov 11	Jan 20 – Feb 10	Jan 25 First Quarter	60–90
Sweet Potato slips	—	Jan 20 – Feb 15	Feb 2–7 Waning Gibbous	90–150
Watermelon either	Dec 16	Jan 20 – Feb 10	Jan 25 First Quarter	70–90
Strawberry (crowns) transplant	—	Nov 7 – Dec 16	Dec 4 Full Moon	perennial — first real harvest next season
Garlic cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Nov 20 – Dec 21	Dec 5–10 Waning Gibbous	240–300
Asparagus (crowns) transplant	—	Nov 25 – Dec 30	Nov 27, Dec 27 First Quarter	perennial — first real harvest 2–3 years
Chives either	Nov 11	Nov 25 – Dec 30	Nov 25–26, Dec 20–23 Waxing Crescent	75–90
Onion (from sets/transplants) cloves/sets	—	Nov 25 – Dec 30	Dec 5–10 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Peas (English/snap) direct sow	—	Nov 25 – Dec 30	Nov 27, Dec 27 First Quarter	55–75
Spinach direct sow	—	Nov 25 – Dec 30	Nov 25–26, Dec 20–23 Waxing Crescent	35–50
Cabbage transplant	Nov 4	Dec 2 – Dec 30	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	65–90
Collards either	Nov 25	Dec 2 – Jan 20	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	55–85
Kale either	Nov 25	Dec 2 – Jan 6	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	50–65
Lettuce (leaf) either	Dec 2	Dec 2 – Jan 27	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	40–55
Potato cloves/sets	—	Dec 2 – Jan 6	Dec 4, Jan 3 Full Moon	70–120
Radish direct sow	—	Dec 2 – Jan 27	Dec 5–10 Waning Gibbous	22–35
Turnip direct sow	—	Dec 2 – Jan 13	Dec 5–10 Waning Gibbous	40–60
Broccoli transplant	Nov 4	Dec 7 – Jan 6	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Brussels Sprouts transplant	Nov 4	Dec 7 – Jan 6	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	90–110
Leek transplant	Oct 28	Dec 7 – Jan 6	Dec 7–10, Jan 4–5 Waning Gibbous	100–120
Lettuce (head) transplant	Nov 18	Dec 7 – Jan 6	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	60–85
Parsley either	Nov 4	Dec 7 – Jan 13	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	70–90
Parsnip direct sow	—	Dec 7 – Jan 13	Jan 3 Full Moon	100–150
Shallot cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Dec 7 – Jan 6	Dec 7–10, Jan 4–5 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Beet direct sow	—	Dec 9 – Jan 27	Jan 3 Full Moon	50–65
Kohlrabi either	Nov 25	Dec 9 – Jan 13	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	45–60
Carrot direct sow	—	Dec 16 – Jan 27	Jan 3 Full Moon	65–85
Cauliflower transplant	Nov 4	Dec 16 – Jan 6	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Cilantro direct sow	—	Dec 16 – Jan 27	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	45–70
Swiss Chard direct sow	—	Dec 16 – Feb 5	Dec 20–25 Waxing Crescent	50–60
Dill direct sow	—	Dec 23 – Feb 5	Dec 23–26, Jan 19–20 Waxing Crescent	40–60

Fall planting in San Diego

Fall dates count backward from the first frost, and they add time back for the “fall factor” — days are shortening and cooling, so a crop grows slower than the seed packet promises. Sowing late is the single most common way a fall garden fails.

Crop	Sow or set out	Best moon days	Days to harvest	Hardiness
Tomato	Aug 15 – Sep 20	Aug 19, Sep 18	60–85	very tender
Brussels Sprouts	Aug 18 – Sep 4	Aug 18	90–110	hardy
Potato	Aug 23 – Sep 24	Aug 27	70–120	semi-hardy
Sweet Corn	Aug 28 – Sep 20	Sep 18	60–100	tender
Pole Beans	Sep 7 – Sep 20	Sep 18	60–75	tender
Parsley	Sep 10 – Sep 24	Sep 11–16	70–90	semi-hardy
Okra	Sep 12 – Oct 12	Sep 18	50–70	very tender
Cabbage	Sep 17 – Sep 29	Sep 17	65–90	hardy
Carrot	Sep 17 – Sep 29	Sep 26	65–85	semi-hardy
Collards	Sep 17 – Oct 9	Sep 17	55–85	hardy
Cucumber	Sep 17 – Sep 30	Sep 18	50–70	tender
Broccoli	Sep 22 – Oct 9	—	55–80	hardy
Cauliflower	Sep 22 – Oct 9	—	55–80	semi-hardy
Green Beans (bush)	Sep 22 – Sep 30	—	50–65	tender
Lettuce (head)	Sep 22 – Oct 4	—	60–85	semi-hardy
Peas (English/snap)	Sep 22 – Oct 9	—	55–75	hardy
Beet	Sep 27 – Oct 14	—	50–65	semi-hardy
Kale	Sep 27 – Oct 14	Oct 11–14	50–65	hardy
Swiss Chard	Sep 27 – Oct 14	Oct 11–14	50–60	semi-hardy
Zucchini / Summer Squash	Sep 27 – Oct 5	—	45–60	tender
Basil	Oct 2 – Oct 20	Oct 11–16	30–60	very tender
Kohlrabi	Oct 2 – Oct 19	Oct 11–16	45–60	hardy
Cilantro	Oct 7 – Oct 19	Oct 11–16	45–70	semi-hardy
Lettuce (leaf)	Oct 7 – Oct 24	Oct 11–16	40–55	semi-hardy
Turnip	Oct 7 – Oct 24	—	40–60	hardy
Spinach	Oct 12 – Oct 29	Oct 12–17	35–50	hardy
Dill	Oct 17 – Oct 24	Oct 17	40–60	semi-hardy
Radish	Oct 17 – Nov 11	Oct 26–31	22–35	hardy
Garlic	Dec 1 – Jan 21	Dec 24–29	240–300	hardy
Shallot	Dec 15 – Jan 15	Dec 24–29	90–120	hardy

Bottom line: the 50% frost date is a coin flip, not a green light. If you would be sick about losing a flat of tomatoes, plant to the Feb 5 date instead and keep a row cover handy either way.

Where these numbers come from

The frost dates on this page are observed station normals, not estimates: they come from San Diego Brown Fld (GHCN USW00003178), one of 6,808 U.S. stations in NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals. The hardiness zone is from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Crop timing is expressed as offsets from your frost dates, drawn from university Extension planting guides.

How precise is any of this?

Extension recommendations for the same crop routinely disagree by two to four weeks, and occasionally more, so these offsets should be presented as windows and starting points rather than deadlines. Three things drive the spread. (1) Regional risk tolerance: for warm-season crops, Colorado State and Utah State put tomatoes, peppers and melons out about 14 days after the last frost, while University of Missouri's calendar works out to roughly 25-35 days after the last frost and University of Maryland's window runs from the frost date itself out to 45 days past it. That is a real 6-week spread for the single most popular garden crop, and it exists because a short-season mountain state is optimizing against a short season while a humid continental state is optimizing against cold, wet spring soil. (2) Soil temperature versus calendar date: most Extension services now say the honest trigger is soil temperature at 4 inches, not the frost date, and the frost-relative number is a convenience translation. A cold, wet spring can push the real date two or three weeks past the calendar recommendation. (3) Days-to-maturity is variety-specific and is measured differently for direct-seeded versus transplanted crops - seed catalogs count from transplant date for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and cole crops, but from sowing for roots and greens - so a 'days to maturity' range of 60-85 for tomato is genuinely 60-85 depending on which packet you bought. Additionally, the average last frost is a 50% probability, meaning half of all years have a frost after that date; Extension services commonly advise waiting 1-2 weeks past it for anything frost-tender, or being prepared to cover. Treat every number here as plus or minus about 10-14 days.

On the station itself: a weather station is one point. Cities hold their heat, valleys pool cold air, and a garden on a north slope can run two weeks behind one a mile away. Treat this page as your starting point and let your own garden correct it — that is exactly what the journal in the app is for.

Nearby locations

Chula Vista, CA zone 10b El Cajon, CA zone 9b Escondido, CA zone 10a San Marcos, CA zone 10a Carlsbad, CA zone 10a Vista, CA zone 10a

Want this on your phone, in your garden? Moon Phase Garden keeps your frost dates, your planting windows and tonight's moon phase in one place, works offline, and lets you override these dates with what your own garden actually does. Free and ad-free.

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San Diego, California Planting Calendar

The four dates that matter

Spring & summer planting in San Diego

Fall planting in San Diego

Where these numbers come from

Nearby locations

Planting reminders for San Diego