Local planting guide · California
zip 90054
Los Angeles is in USDA hardiness zone 10b, with average winter lows of 35°F to 40°F. The local growing season runs roughly 12/31 through 12/28 (~365 days). This zip falls within the California growing region.
- USDA zone
- 10b 35°F to 40°F
- Last spring frost
- 12/31
- First fall frost
- 12/28
- Growing season
- 365 days
- Compatible crops
- 23
- Growing region
- California
Right now in Los Angeles
Week 18 priorities
On the docket: transplant out after last frost · direct sow after last frost. See the full calendar →
Gardening in Los Angeles
Los Angeles zone 10b offers year-round gardening with minimal winter frost risk. Average minimum temperatures range from 35 to 40°F, with the last frost arriving around December 31st and the first fall frost not until late December, making frost risk negligible year-round. This perpetual growing season makes Los Angeles ideal for warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, sweet potato, and basil, which thrive and often overwinter successfully. However, the year-round growing window brings a different set of constraints than colder zones. The dominant challenge is summer heat; temperatures regularly exceed 90°F and frequently spike above 100°F inland, which stresses or kills cool-season crops like lettuce and brassicas unless carefully timed or shaded. Water availability is another major factor; Southern California's chronic drought means irrigation efficiency is essential, favoring drought-tolerant varieties and mulched beds. The mild winters are a genuine advantage, allowing overlapping seasons of cool-season and warm-season crops that would be impossible further north.
Regional context · California
What the California brings to Los Angeles
From cool foggy coast to hot Central Valley to mountain to desert. Mediterranean climate dominates: wet winters, dry summers. The most productive agricultural state in the country, with reach into citrus and olives that exceed the rest of the country.
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 Los Angeles
Summer heat is the most frequent challenge. Cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, and broccoli bolt rapidly when daytime temperatures exceed 85°F, typically by late May or June depending on neighborhood and elevation. Many gardeners abandon spring planting in favor of fall sowing (August through September) to capture the mild autumn and winter months. Water scarcity compounds the problem; drip irrigation and deep mulch are essential rather than optional. A third challenge is fungal disease pressure during humid summer nights in some neighborhoods. Powdery mildew affects squash and melon crops, and early blight can threaten tomatoes, especially where overhead watering splashes soil onto foliage. Heat-loving varieties and careful plant spacing for airflow help mitigate these issues.
Crops that grow in Los Angeles
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 Los Angeles
Year-view of seed starting, transplanting, planting, pruning, fertilizing, harvest, and pest-watch windows tuned to Los Angeles's local frost dates.
Week ? · loading
This week in Los Angeles, CA (zone 10b)
Quiet week in Los Angeles, CA (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 Los Angeles
Cool-season crops succeed best when planted in late summer (August through September) to mature through the mild fall and winter months, as spring plantings bolt rapidly as temperatures climb through May and June. Successive plantings of warm-season crops from February through May, then again in July through August, enable harvesting across multiple seasons and reduce gaps in production. Shade cloth (30 to 50 percent density) applied from June through August protects heat-sensitive crops like lettuce and basil from bolting and water stress, extending their harvest window. In intense heat zones (inland areas exceeding 100°F regularly), afternoon shade combined with drip irrigation, consistent soil moisture, and thick mulch helps prevent heat-stress problems like blossom-end rot on tomatoes and premature ripening on peppers.
Frequently asked questions
- What crops grow best in Los Angeles zone 10b?
Warm-season crops thrive year-round: tomatoes, peppers (sweet and hot), eggplant, basil, rosemary, figs, and sweet potato. Cool-season crops like lettuce, brassicas, and leafy greens grow well in fall, winter, and early spring (October through April), but struggle in summer heat.
- When should I plant tomatoes and other warm-season crops in Los Angeles?
Tomatoes and peppers can be planted February through May for spring and summer harvest, then again in late July through August for fall production. Frost poses no risk year-round; the limiting factor is summer heat intensity. Succession planting every 3 to 4 weeks extends harvest throughout the year.
- Is frost a concern in Los Angeles?
Frost is extremely rare. The last spring frost averages December 31st and the first fall frost averages December 28th, making frost risk negligible. Winter lows of 35 to 40°F may stress tender tropical varieties like avocado or mango at higher elevations, but hardy warm-season vegetables are unaffected.
- How do I grow lettuce and greens in Los Angeles?
Plant lettuce, spinach, and chard in fall (August through October) to harvest through winter and early spring. Spring plantings bolt by late May or June. Shade cloth (30 to 50 percent) extends cool-season harvests into June if desired, though productivity drops sharply as temperatures rise.
- What's the biggest challenge to gardening in Los Angeles?
Summer heat and water scarcity are the dominant constraints. Heat causes cool-season crops to bolt prematurely, while drought requires efficient irrigation. Choosing heat-tolerant varieties, using mulch and drip irrigation, and timing plantings to avoid peak summer stress are essential strategies.
- Can I grow fruit trees in Los Angeles?
Yes. Figs, citrus, avocado, and mango thrive in zone 10b. Figs are particularly well-suited, often producing two crops per year. Chill-hour requirements are not a constraint for zone 10b fruit varieties, but water availability remains the limiting factor in Southern California.
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Frost data: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USW00023152. Local microclimates can shift these dates by a week or more.
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