Zone 11a planting calendar
What to plant in May: zone 11a
A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 11a: last spring frost around January 1, first fall frost around December 31. 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.
Typical last frost: January 1
Typical first frost: December 31
Winter lows: 40 to 45 °F
A quiet month in zone 11a
May is a rest-and-plan month here. Use it to order seed, test your soil, repair beds, and map next season's rotation, then jump ahead to June.
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