Local planting guide · California
zip 90080
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 zone 10b with virtually no frost risk. The last spring frost occurs around December 31, and the first fall frost arrives around December 28, creating a 365-day frost-free growing window. This perpetual season is both an asset and a test. The real constraint in Los Angeles is heat. Summer conditions regularly exceed typical zone 10b expectations, with intense afternoon sun and low humidity creating a heat-dominated gardening environment. The sample crops listed, figs, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, basil, and rosemary, all thrive in heat and reflect what grows most reliably in the region. Cool-season crops like lettuce and broccoli struggle during the extended warm period but excel during the mild winter months (December through February). Soil in many Los Angeles neighborhoods tends toward alkalinity, which can complicate nutrient availability for some crops and may require amendment. The combination of year-round growing days and heat-driven constraints shapes a fundamentally different gardening calendar than cooler zones.
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 affects even heat-tolerant crops. Tomatoes and peppers frequently drop flowers during the hottest months (July and August), reducing fruit set significantly. Eggplant and basil become stressed during prolonged heat without consistent moisture, producing less and declining in quality. Many herbs struggle with wilting and poor flavor when drought-stressed or overwhelmed by summer conditions. Soil pH, often neutral to alkaline across the Los Angeles basin, can lock up iron and other micronutrients even when present in soil, requiring targeted amendment or fertilization. Spider mites and whiteflies explode during dry, hot months and are difficult to control without careful pest management and water strategies. Water restrictions, while not universal year-round, arrive during peak growing season in some neighborhoods and force difficult choices about resource allocation.
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
Plant heat-loving crops early in the season (January through March) so they mature before the most intense summer heat arrives. Tomatoes and peppers planted in January establish strong root systems and set most of their fruit before peak heat stress reduces productivity and flower development. Switch to cool-season crops in late summer and fall (August through October planting), growing lettuce, broccoli, and root crops through the mild winter months instead of struggling with spring plantings that bolt quickly in heat. Use heavy mulch and drip irrigation year-round to maintain consistent soil moisture and reduce plant stress during hot periods. Shade cloth over beds during the most intense summer months can moderate temperature extremes for heat-sensitive herbs and eggplant.
Frequently asked questions
- What's the best time to plant tomatoes and peppers in Los Angeles?
January through March. These crops need time to establish and develop flowers before summer heat disrupts fruit set. A tomato planted in January will produce most of its harvest before the hottest months.
- Can I grow lettuce and cool-season crops in summer?
Not reliably. Cool-season crops bolt rapidly in summer heat. Plant them in August and September for harvest during the mild winter months (December through February) when they actually thrive.
- Do I need to protect plants from frost?
Rarely. With the last spring frost around December 31 and first fall frost around December 28, frost protection is seldom necessary. Tender perennials like figs can remain in the ground year-round.
- Why do my tomato plants flower but produce no fruit in summer?
Extreme heat disrupts fruit development in tomatoes during peak summer. Plant early (January through March) so most fruit sets before the hottest months, or use shade cloth during July and August to moderate conditions.
- What about water restrictions? How do I garden then?
Prioritize heat-loving, drought-tolerant perennials like rosemary and fig. Mulch heavily, use drip irrigation for efficiency, and focus on cool-season crops planted in late summer when plant water needs are lower.
- Are there tomato and pepper varieties better suited to Los Angeles?
Heat-tolerant tomato varieties are more reliable than classic garden types. Hot peppers generally handle sustained heat better than sweet peppers. Local nurseries stock region-appropriate varieties suited to the climate.
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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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