Local planting guide · California
zip 90076
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 sits in USDA zone 10b, where winter minimum temperatures rarely drop below 35 to 40°F. Frost dates are essentially academic here: the last spring frost occurs around December 31, and the first fall frost around December 28. In practical terms, Los Angeles has a 365-day growing season with virtually no risk of winter killing. The dominant challenge is not cold but heat. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 85°F and often climb into the 90s, stressing cool-season crops like lettuce, broccoli, and peas. The gardening calendar is shaped not by frost but by heat cycles. Heat-loving crops, including figs, peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes, thrive year-round in Los Angeles where they are seasonal elsewhere. The tradeoff is that traditional cool-season crops require strategic timing, shade cloth, or heat-tolerant varieties to survive the intense summer months. Understanding this shift from cold-constraint to heat-constraint is the first step to consistent harvests.
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
Heat stress during summer months is the single biggest obstacle for Los Angeles gardeners. Cool-season crops like lettuce, chard, and broccoli bolt or wilt in July and August unless planted in partial shade or bred specifically for heat tolerance. Conversely, warm, humid stretches can create conditions for fungal diseases in certain microclimates, particularly in coastal neighborhoods where marine layer influence creates pockets of overnight moisture. Water restrictions, periodic and unpredictable, force gardeners to choose drought-tolerant varieties or invest in efficient irrigation. Soil pH in Los Angeles tends toward alkaline, which can lock up micronutrients for sensitive crops. Finally, the extended growing season tempts overplanting without accounting for the reality that peppers and tomatoes will slow fruit production if sustained daytime highs exceed typical thresholds during summer, despite otherwise favorable growing conditions.
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
First, embrace summer shade strategically. A 30 to 50 percent shade cloth in July and August extends the season for spinach, lettuce, and other heat-sensitive greens. Alternatively, skip cool-season crops entirely in summer and plan succession plantings for September through May when temperatures moderate. Second, choose heat-tolerant varieties deliberately when selecting tomatoes and peppers. Standard varieties from big-box garden centers don't always tolerate sustained summer heat. Look for varieties specifically recommended for hot climates. Third, install drip irrigation or soaker hoses on a timer. Overhead watering wastes water to evaporation and wets foliage, inviting fungal problems during warm, humid stretches. This is especially important given Los Angeles' periodic water restrictions.
Frequently asked questions
- What crops grow best in Los Angeles?
Heat-loving perennials like figs and rosemary thrive year-round. Warm-season crops, including tomatoes, peppers (both sweet and hot), eggplant, and sweet potato, grow reliably. Basil grows almost everywhere in LA. Cool-season crops like lettuce and broccoli grow well from September through May but require shade or heat-tolerant varieties in summer.
- When do I plant tomatoes in Los Angeles?
The lack of frost means tomatoes can technically be planted any time, but spring (February to April) and late summer (August to September) are ideal. Spring plantings produce through early summer before heat peaks. Late summer plantings mature in fall when cooler nights return, producing better flavor and extending the harvest into winter.
- Do I need to worry about frost in Los Angeles?
No. Winter temperatures rarely drop to freezing, and frost is virtually unknown except in rare years in microclimate pockets. The last recorded frost date is around December 31, but this is a statistical outlier. Plan your calendar around heat, not frost.
- How do I grow cool-season crops like lettuce in summer?
Use 30 to 50 percent shade cloth from June through August, or choose heat-tolerant varieties bred for warm climates. Otherwise, skip cool-season crops in summer and replant in September for a fall-through-spring harvest when temperatures moderate.
- What's the best time to plant for fall and winter harvest?
August and September are ideal for planting crops that mature in fall and winter. Root crops, brassicas, leafy greens, and tomatoes planted in late summer will produce as temperatures cool in October and November, extending your harvest through the winter months.
- How do water restrictions affect my garden?
Choose drought-tolerant crops like figs, rosemary, basil, and peppers. Install drip irrigation to minimize water waste. During restrictions, focus on perennials and drought-adapted varieties over water-hungry annuals. Plan succession plantings for cooler months when water needs are lower.
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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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