Zone 10b planting calendar

What to plant in October: zone 10b

A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 10b: last spring frost around January 15, first fall frost around December 30. Zones are set by winter lows, not frost dates, so two gardens in the same zone can be weeks apart. Measure your ZIP below for dates from your area's own 30-year record.

These are zone-average dates. Check an area-level frost estimate from thirty years of nearby weather history and this calendar retimes itself.
Typical last frost: January 15
Typical first frost: December 30
Winter lows: 35 to 40 °F
Zone 10b Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Plan & order

  • Map this year's beds2 sowings: Oct 2 and Oct 9

    Rotate families off last year's ground. Nightshades, brassicas and cucurbits each move to a new bed. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

Dormant care

  • Sharpen and oil toolsaround Oct 16

    Clean, sharpen and oil blades while there's time. Dull tools bruise plants and slow you down.

  • Prune dormant fruit treesaround Oct 30

    Prune apples, pears and peaches while fully dormant. Open the center, remove crossing wood.

Start indoors

  • Sow microgreens indoorsaround Oct 23

    A tray on the windowsill gives you a cut of fresh greens every 10-14 days through the cold months.

Direct sow

  • Rutabagaaround Oct 23

    Soil is ready 12 weeks before last frost.

Start indoors for fall

  • Broccoliaround Oct 2

    Seedlings need 5 weeks before they go out for a fall harvest.

  • Kalearound Oct 19

    Seedlings need 4 weeks before they go out for a fall harvest.

Direct sow for fall

  • Pea2 sowings: Oct 3 and Oct 31

    Fall pea window opens. Sowing now beats the last-minute date by a month of growth. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Cilantro2 sowings: Oct 4 and Oct 25

    Succession sowing 3 of 3. Sow every 21 days for a steady cut. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Carrotaround Oct 4

    Fall carrot window opens. Sowing now beats the last-minute date by a month of growth.

  • Beetaround Oct 8

    Fall beet window opens. Sowing now beats the last-minute date by a month of growth.

  • Dillaround Oct 8

    Fall dill window opens. Sowing now beats the last-minute date by a month of growth.

  • Spinacharound Oct 20

    Succession sowing 3 of 3. Sow every 21 days for a steady cut.

  • Lettucearound Oct 20

    Succession sowing 2 of 3. Sow every 21 days for a steady cut.

  • Parsleyaround Oct 21

    Counts back 70 days from your first frost. Takes a light frost with cover.

  • Bush beanaround Oct 26

    Counts back 55 days from your first frost. Frost-tender: must finish before frost.

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