Zone 9a planting calendar

What to plant in August: zone 9a

A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 9a: last spring frost around February 28, first fall frost around December 5. 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: February 28
Typical first frost: December 5
Winter lows: 20 to 25 °F
Zone 9a Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Plan & order

  • Order fall seedaround Aug 7

    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 Aug 10

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

  • Kalearound Aug 27

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

Direct sow for fall

  • Parsleyaround Aug 29

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

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