Local planting guide · Southeast
zip 33402
West Palm Beach is in USDA hardiness zone 10b, with average winter lows of 35°F to 40°F. The local growing season runs roughly 01/24 through 01/14 (~365 days). This zip falls within the Southeast growing region.
- USDA zone
- 10b 35°F to 40°F
- Last spring frost
- 01/24
- First fall frost
- 01/14
- Growing season
- 365 days
- Compatible crops
- 23
- Growing region
- Southeast
Right now in West Palm Beach
Week 18 priorities
On the docket: transplant out after last frost · direct sow after last frost. See the full calendar →
Gardening in West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach sits in zone 10b with virtually no frost risk. The last spring frost date (January 24) and first fall frost date (January 14) indicate a frost-free climate where gardening extends across all 365 days of the year. This is a significant advantage over cooler zones, but it creates a different gardening rhythm. The dominant constraint is not cold but heat and humidity. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 90°F with high humidity, creating conditions where certain crops that thrive elsewhere in zone 10b struggle. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and basil are reliable through much of the year, but each requires specific timing to avoid peak summer decline. Figs perform exceptionally well in West Palm Beach's heat and humidity, as do rosemary and other Mediterranean herbs adapted to intense sun. Sweet potatoes and sweet peppers are staples that tolerate the long growing season. The real challenge is learning to work with the calendar: not avoiding frost but strategically timing plantings to sidestep the worst heat stress and humidity-driven disease pressure of June through September. Winter and spring offer the most reliable harvests for warm-season crops.
Regional context · Southeast
What the Southeast brings to West Palm Beach
Hot, humid, long growing season. Disease-resistant variety selection is the difference between a productive and a failed planting. Strong region for muscadines, blueberries, peaches, persimmons, figs, and warm-season vegetables.
Common challenges
Issues that most often defeat home gardeners in zone 10b, drawn from the broader USDA zone profile.
- ▸ No winter chill
- ▸ Tropical pest and disease pressure
- ▸ Saltwater intrusion in coastal soils
What defeats new gardeners in West Palm Beach
The biggest struggle for home gardeners in West Palm Beach is managing the intensity of June through September. Tomatoes, even heat-tolerant varieties, often fail to set fruit during peak summer when night temperatures stay above 75°F and humidity approaches saturation. Similarly, sweet peppers slow production dramatically in the hottest months. Humidity creates persistent pressure from fungal diseases. Powdery mildew and rust are common through the rainy season. Storm surge and flooding during hurricane season can damage plants and introduce salt spray, which inhibits most crops. A secondary challenge is that irrigation becomes critical during the dry winter months (December through March), when rainfall drops sharply and salt creep from the water table can accumulate in poorly drained soil.
Crops that grow in West Palm Beach
23 crops from our catalog match zone 10b, grouped by type.
Tree fruit
12 crops
zone 10b Fig
Ficus carica
zones 7a–10b
zone 10b Lemon
Citrus limon
zones 9a–11b
zone 10b Orange
Citrus sinensis
zones 9a–11b
zone 10b Lime
Citrus aurantiifolia
zones 9b–11b
zone 10b Grapefruit
Citrus paradisi
zones 9a–11b
zone 10b Mango
Mangifera indica
zones 10b–13b
zone 10b Avocado
Persea americana
zones 9b–11b
zone 10b Banana
Musa acuminata
zones 9b–13b
Berries
2 crops
Nuts
1 crop
Vegetables
6 crops
zone 10b Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
zones 3a–10b
zone 10b Sweet Pepper
Capsicum annuum
zones 4a–10b
zone 10b Hot Pepper
Capsicum species
zones 4a–10b
zone 10b Eggplant
Solanum melongena
zones 5a–10b
zone 10b Sweet Potato
Ipomoea batatas
zones 6a–10b
zone 10b Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus
zones 6a–10b
Herbs
2 crops
Plan the year
Planting calendar for West Palm Beach
Year-view of seed starting, transplanting, planting, pruning, fertilizing, harvest, and pest-watch windows tuned to West Palm Beach's local frost dates.
Week ? · loading
This week in West Palm Beach, FL (zone 10b)
Quiet week in West Palm Beach, FL (zone 10b). this week is a good time to step back and plan ahead.
Nothing critical on the calendar this week.
128 bars · 23 crops
Calendar logic combines NOAA frost normals with crop-specific timing data. Local microclimate and weather always overrules the calendar; use this as a starting point.
Top pests for zone 10b
Ranked by how many crops in your zone they affect. Click through for IPM controls and signs to watch for.
Pseudococcidae spp.
Soft white waxy insects that cluster at leaf joints, fruit stems, and root crowns. Honeydew secretion supports sooty mold; root mealybugs cause decline that mimics drought.
Coccoidea spp.
Sap-sucking insects that attach to bark, leaves, and fruit, secreting honeydew that fuels sooty mold. Heavy infestations weaken trees and cause leaf yellowing.
Ceratitis capitata
Quarantine pest in many regions. Adult females puncture ripening fruit to lay eggs; larvae tunnel through the flesh, causing premature drop and rot.
Multiple species (Aphididae)
Small soft-bodied sap-sucking insects that reproduce explosively in spring. Excrete honeydew that supports sooty mold and attracts ants. Transmit viral diseases.
Meloidogyne species
Microscopic soil-dwelling worm that forms galls on roots, reducing vigor and yield.
Multiple species (Aleyrodidae)
Tiny white moth-like flying insects that feed on plant sap and excrete honeydew. Transmit numerous viral diseases including tomato yellow leaf curl virus.
Multiple species (Chrysomelidae)
Tiny black or bronze jumping beetles that put hundreds of small holes in seedling leaves. Most damaging on direct-seeded brassicas and young eggplant.
Anastrepha suspensa
Tropical fruit fly endemic to Florida and the Caribbean. Less aggressive on commercial citrus than Mediterranean fruit fly, but devastating on guava, carambola, and other thin-skinned tropicals.
Top diseases for zone 10b
Ranked by how many crops in your zone they affect. Click through for symptoms, controls, and resistant varieties.
Capnodium spp.
Black fungal coating that grows on honeydew secreted by aphids, scale, mealybugs, and whiteflies. Doesn't infect plant tissue directly but blocks photosynthesis and disfigures fruit.
Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
Most damaging mango disease worldwide. Fungal spores infect blossoms and developing fruit during humid weather, producing black sunken lesions that expand on ripening fruit.
Sclerotium rolfsii
Soil-borne fungal disease most damaging in warm humid Southern conditions. White mycelial fans and small mustard-seed-sized sclerotia at the soil line are diagnostic.
Fusarium oxysporum
Soil-borne fungal disease that plugs vascular tissue and kills affected plants. Persists in soil for many years; impossible to eliminate once established.
Verticillium dahliae
Soil-borne fungal disease similar to fusarium wilt but with broader host range and cooler temperature optimum. Persists in soil for 10+ years.
Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus
Devastating bacterial disease vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid. Once infected, trees decline progressively over several years and there is no cure. Has destroyed commercial citrus across Florida and threatens production worldwide.
Xanthomonas citri
Bacterial disease producing raised corky lesions on leaves, twigs, and fruit. Spread by wind-driven rain and contaminated tools. Quarantine-regulated in many areas.
Xanthomonas euvesicatoria and X. perforans
Bacterial disease causing leaf spots and fruit blemishes on pepper and tomato. Severe in warm humid weather, transmitted via splashing water and seed.
Companion planting suggestions
Beneficial pairings drawn from companion data, filtered to crops that grow in zone 10b.
- Fig + Rosemary
Rosemary tolerates the dry sites figs prefer and provides aromatic pest deterrence.
- Tomato + Basil
The classic Italian pairing. Basil's volatile oils are reported to repel hornworms and whiteflies, and the two crops share the same warm-season schedule and water needs. Plant basil between tomato cages.
- Sweet Pepper + Basil
Same warm-season culture, same watering schedule. Basil reportedly improves pepper flavor and repels aphids and thrips that are pepper's primary pests.
- Hot Pepper + Basil
Compatible heat-loving culture, similar water needs. Basil interplanted between hot pepper plants supports beneficial insects and reduces aphid pressure.
- Okra + Hot Pepper
Both heat-loving warm-season crops with similar water and fertility needs. Hot pepper at okra's base benefits from the slight afternoon shade in extreme summer heat.
Soil types reference
Soil texture and pH decide what grows easily on your specific lot. Find the closest match below for crop recommendations and amendment guidance.
Practical tips for West Palm Beach
Plant heat-sensitive crops like tomatoes and sweet peppers in two windows: late summer through fall (August through October plantings for fall/winter harvest) and early spring (February through March for spring harvest). Peak summer plantings fail. Use shade cloth (30 to 50 percent shade) from June through August for basil, which bolts quickly under full sun and high humidity. For year-round production, succession plant every two to three weeks in the cooler months (October through April) and scale back or pause in summer, shifting focus to established perennials like figs and rosemary that thrive in heat without requiring intensive management. Water deeply and infrequently during the dry winter months to encourage deep roots and reduce salt accumulation in the soil.
Frequently asked questions
- What crops do best in West Palm Beach?
Figs, rosemary, basil, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, and sweet potatoes all perform well in zone 10b. Figs and rosemary are particularly reliable year-round performers, while tomatoes and peppers thrive in spring and fall plantings.
- When should I plant tomatoes in West Palm Beach?
Plant tomatoes in late August or September for a fall and winter harvest, or in February and March for a spring harvest. Avoid June-July plantings. Summer heat prevents fruit set.
- What's the frost risk in West Palm Beach?
Frost is extremely rare; the area averages no killing frost. However, occasional light frosts in January can damage tender new growth on warm-season crops planted too early in spring.
- How do I manage summer heat for vegetables?
Use shade cloth (30 to 50 percent density) for heat-sensitive herbs from June through August. Focus summer gardening on established perennials like figs and rosemary, and scale back annual vegetables during peak heat.
- What's the biggest weather challenge?
Hurricane season (June through November) brings wind, flooding, and salt spray. Protect young plants with windbreaks, ensure good drainage, and rinse foliage after salt-spray events.
- Is there a best season to plant?
October through April is ideal for most vegetables. Winter and spring offer the most reliable production for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Summer is the season to focus on perennials and irrigation maintenance.
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Frost data: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USW00012895. Local microclimates can shift these dates by a week or more.
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