Zone 11a planting calendar

What to plant in September: zone 11a

Zone 11a averages its last spring frost around January 1 and its first fall frost around December 31. Everything below is timed from those two dates, so it stays useful whether you're planting for summer or for a fall harvest.

These are zone-average dates. Check an area-level frost estimate from thirty years of nearby weather history and this calendar retimes itself.
Last frost: January 1
First frost: December 31
Winter lows: 40 to 45 °F
Zone 11a Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Plan & order

  • Inventory and order seedaround Sep 11

    Sort what you already have, toss anything over 3 years old, and order early while varieties are in stock.

  • Map this year's bedsaround Sep 18

    Rotate families off last year's ground. Nightshades, brassicas and cucurbits each move to a new bed.

  • Soil testaround Sep 25

    A $20 test now tells you what to amend before planting instead of guessing all season.

  • Order fall seedaround Sep 2

    Fall brassicas and greens get sown in the heat of summer. Have the seed on hand before that window opens.

Start indoors for fall

  • Broccoliaround Sep 5

    Fall broccoli window opens. Sow trays any time in the next four weeks.

  • Kalearound Sep 22

    Fall kale window opens. Sow trays any time in the next four weeks.

Direct sow for fall

  • Parsleyaround Sep 24

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

  • Bush beanaround Sep 29

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

  • Lettucearound Sep 30

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

Turn this into your own calendar

Want this calendar emailed to you?

Get the full 12-month version for your ZIP area. Every sowing, transplant, and harvest window, with reminders you can add to your calendar.

Build my free plan Find my zone & frost dates