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USDA Zone 9

Hot summers, very mild winters. Long seasons and near year-round growing.

Climate Overview

What to expect

  • Very mild winters, frost light and occasional
  • Long, hot summers — often the limiting factor
  • Last frost January to February; first frost November to December
  • Cool-season crops grow right through winter

What Grows Well

TomatoesPeppersEggplantOkraCucumbersMelonsWatermelonSweet potatoesSquashBeansCitrusFigsPomegranatesBrassicas (fall/winter)Greens

Seeds To Stock

  • Tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Okra
  • Cucumbers
  • Watermelon
  • Squash
  • Beans
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Sunflowers
  • Broccoli
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Garlic
  • Onions
  • Cover crop mix

Direct Sow Suggestions

  • Beans
  • Cucumbers
  • Squash
  • Corn
  • Okra
  • Sunflowers
  • Cowpeas
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Lettuce (cool months)

Tray Start Suggestions

  • Tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Eggplant
  • Broccoli (fall)
  • Cabbage (fall)

Monthly Planning

Current month is highlighted. Click any month to see the plan.

USDA Zone 9

JuneThis month

Plant Now

  • Beans (succession)
  • Okra
  • Cowpeas
  • Cucumbers
  • Watermelon
  • Sunflowers

Start In Trays

  • Fall broccoli and cabbage

Harvest

  • Zucchini
  • Beans
  • Cucumbers
  • Early tomatoes
  • Garlic

Prepare Next

  • Order garlic
  • Plan fall garden

Common Challenges

Watch out for

  • Extreme summer heat stalling fruit set
  • Long dry season demanding irrigation
  • Keeping fall starts alive through late-summer heat
  • Sunscald and spider mites

Near Anderson, Redding, or Red Bluff, California? Our local guides go a lot deeper than this zone overview.

What To Do Next

Turn zone knowledge into an actual planting plan.

Zone pages help with broad timing. The planner and growing tips list help you turn that timing into a season you can use.

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Open the Garden Planner

Use your zone as the starting point for a crop list, plant counts, and garden space planning.

Open the Garden Planner

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Local Guides

If you garden near Anderson, Redding, or Red Bluff, the local guides go deeper than zone-only advice.

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