Local planting guide · California
zip 90087
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's zone 10b climate creates a year-round growing season, a rare advantage among US gardening regions. Winter minimum temperatures hover between 35 and 40°F, making killing frosts exceptionally rare. This opens the door to heat-loving crops that struggle in cooler zones: figs thrive through winter and produce prolifically; tomatoes and peppers can be grown in two or three staggered plantings to spread production across the calendar; eggplant and sweet potato establish themselves readily in spring and produce until late autumn or early winter. The dominant constraint is not cold but the opposite: summer heat combined with the region's tendency toward drought. Mediterranean-climate gardeners must plan around intense July and August sun and manage irrigation carefully during the dry season. Winter and early spring offer the most forgiving growing window, but the frost-free calendar enables strategies unavailable to gardeners in colder zones, such as timing successive plantings to harvest during mild seasons and avoid the peak heat.
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 stress affects crops that prefer moderate temperatures. Tomatoes often stop setting fruit when nighttime temperatures remain above 75°F, a common condition from late June through early August; peppers and eggplant are more heat-tolerant but still benefit from afternoon shade during peak summer. Water availability is the second major constraint. Los Angeles's dry season coincides with peak growing season for many warm-weather crops, forcing gardeners to choose between intensive irrigation (expensive and restricted by municipal limits) and selecting drought-tolerant varieties and implementing mulching or shade-cloth strategies to reduce transpiration. Late spring plantings can struggle if they lack time to establish before summer heat arrives; seedlings set out in late May or June often experience transplant shock in the heat and require careful monitoring.
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
Successive plantings of tomatoes and peppers in two windows work well: late February to March for spring-into-early-summer harvest, and again in July for a fall through winter crop. This avoids the peak heat stress of midsummer and takes advantage of the mild autumn that follows. The frost-free calendar also enables growing cool-season crops (lettuce, spinach, brassicas) from September through April, filling the garden with productive space that would lie fallow in colder zones. For water efficiency, figs and rosemary need little summer irrigation once established, making them ideal for drought-prone years. Tomatoes and peppers benefit from 2-3 inches of organic mulch to stabilize soil moisture and moderate root-zone temperature during heat peaks. Paired with drip irrigation and early morning watering, mulch reduces overall irrigation demands while maintaining the consistent moisture these crops prefer.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the most reliable crops to grow year-round in Los Angeles?
Figs, rosemary, basil, and leafy greens thrive with minimal effort. Tomatoes and peppers succeed if planted in the right season (spring or mid-summer) and given afternoon shade during peak heat. Sweet potato and eggplant do well in spring plantings but may struggle if set out too late in the season.
- When should I plant tomatoes in Los Angeles?
Optimal timing falls in late February to March for spring harvest, or late June to July for fall and winter production. The first window avoids summer heat stress; the second takes advantage of the mild autumn. May plantings risk greater heat stress without heat-tolerant varieties and shade cloth.
- How do I manage summer heat stress?
30-50% shade cloth works well for tomatoes and peppers from June through August. Heavy mulch (2-3 inches) moderates soil temperature and reduces irrigation demands. Consistent early morning irrigation with succession planting spreads harvest across milder seasons, avoiding peak summer stress.
- Is frost a concern in Los Angeles?
Killing frosts are rare in zone 10b. Frost dates in Los Angeles occur at year's end: the last spring frost near December 31 and the first fall frost near December 28, meaning frost protection is rarely necessary. This near frost-free status throughout most of the year is the region's defining advantage.
- What about water restrictions?
Los Angeles frequently experiences drought conditions and municipal water rationing. Success comes through drought-tolerant perennials (figs, rosemary) paired with deep mulching, drip irrigation, and early-morning watering. Rainwater capture, where local regulations permit, further reduces irrigation needs.
- Can I grow citrus in Los Angeles?
Citrus thrives in zone 10b, though it isn't listed in the sample crops for this page. Lemons, oranges, and grapefruits are productive long-term investments. They're drought-tolerant once established and can produce for decades with minimal attention.
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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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