My Planting Calendar

What to plant in October in zone 10

USDA zone 10 has winter lows of 30 to 40°F, a typical last spring frost around Jan 30 and first fall frost around Dec 15, roughly 330 frost-free days. October is the "peak growing season" there.

30 crops have a sowing or planting window this month, including bush bean, carrot, kale, radicchio, collard greens, endive & escarole - and 10 of those windows close during October.

Dates come from the typical frost dates of USDA zone 10 (last frost Jan 30, first frost Dec 15). A zone covers many climates, so for dates tuned to your town use the planting calendar, or pick your state below.

Peak growing seasonSow or plant: 30Start indoors: 0Harvesting: 3

Zone 10: planting activity through the year

77
69
27
9
9
4
3
3
18
30
26
54
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Frost riskFrost-free: Jan 30 – Dec 15
Bars count the vegetables, herbs and fruit with a sowing or planting window in each month, from the state’s average frost dates. 30 have one in October; the busiest month is January (77).

Last chance in October

Bush Bean (sow for a fall crop, by Oct 6) · Carrot (sow for a fall crop, by Oct 6) · Kale (sow for a fall crop, by Oct 6) · Radicchio (sow for a fall crop, by Oct 6) · Collard Greens (sow for a fall crop, by Oct 13) · Endive & Escarole (sow for a fall crop, by Oct 13) · Napa Cabbage (sow for a fall crop, by Oct 13) · Parsley (sow for a fall crop, by Oct 13) · Pea (sow for a fall crop, by Oct 13) · Swiss Chard (sow for a fall crop, by Oct 13)

For fall and winter harvests (30)

Sowings counted back from zone 10's first fall frost, so the crop matures before the cold - or, for garlic and similar, planted after it.

CropWhat to doWindowThis month
Bush BeanSow for a fall cropSep 19 – Oct 6Last chance - ends Oct 6
CarrotSow for a fall cropSep 19 – Oct 6Last chance - ends Oct 6
KaleSow for a fall cropSep 19 – Oct 6Last chance - ends Oct 6
RadicchioSow for a fall cropSep 19 – Oct 6Last chance - ends Oct 6
Collard GreensSow for a fall cropSep 26 – Oct 13Last chance - ends Oct 13
Endive & EscaroleSow for a fall cropSep 26 – Oct 13Last chance - ends Oct 13
Napa CabbageSow for a fall cropSep 26 – Oct 13Last chance - ends Oct 13
ParsleySow for a fall cropSep 26 – Oct 13Last chance - ends Oct 13
PeaSow for a fall cropSep 26 – Oct 13Last chance - ends Oct 13
Swiss ChardSow for a fall cropSep 26 – Oct 13Last chance - ends Oct 13
BeetSow for a fall cropOct 3 – Oct 20Oct 3 – Oct 20
Cilantro / CorianderSow for a fall cropOct 3 – Oct 20Oct 3 – Oct 20
Bok Choy / Pak ChoiSow for a fall cropOct 10 – Oct 27Oct 10 – Oct 27
BorageSow for a fall cropOct 10 – Oct 27Oct 10 – Oct 27
DillSow for a fall cropOct 10 – Oct 27Oct 10 – Oct 27
Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Sow for a fall cropOct 10 – Oct 27Oct 10 – Oct 27
Green Onion / ScallionSow for a fall cropOct 10 – Oct 27Oct 10 – Oct 27
KohlrabiSow for a fall cropOct 10 – Oct 27Oct 10 – Oct 27
LettuceSow for a fall cropOct 10 – Oct 27Oct 10 – Oct 27
Mache (Corn Salad)Sow for a fall cropOct 10 – Oct 27Oct 10 – Oct 27
MizunaSow for a fall cropOct 10 – Oct 27Oct 10 – Oct 27
Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Sow for a fall cropOct 10 – Oct 27Oct 10 – Oct 27
ChervilSow for a fall cropOct 17 – Nov 3Opens Oct 17
Mustard GreensSow for a fall cropOct 17 – Nov 3Opens Oct 17
SpinachSow for a fall cropOct 17 – Nov 3Opens Oct 17
TatsoiSow for a fall cropOct 17 – Nov 3Opens Oct 17
TurnipSow for a fall cropOct 17 – Nov 3Opens Oct 17
ArugulaSow for a fall cropOct 24 – Nov 10Opens Oct 24
WatercressSow for a fall cropOct 24 – Nov 10Opens Oct 24
RadishSow for a fall cropOct 31 – Nov 17Opens Oct 31

Harvesting in October

First harvests expected this month from crops sown or planted on time earlier in the season.

Ginger · Oct 18 – Dec 17Turmeric · Oct 18 – Dec 17Zucchini / Summer Squash · Oct 27 – Nov 28

Peak growing season: October garden jobs in zone 10

  1. Water deeply two or three times a week rather than a little every day - about an inch a week, more in heat. See watering a vegetable garden.
  2. 9 weeks until the average first frost (December 15). Fall crops start now: bush bean, carrot, kale, radicchio. See the fall and winter garden guide.
  3. Check the undersides of leaves twice a week - catching pests early is most of the battle (pest identification guide).
  4. Harvest often: ginger, turmeric, zucchini / summer squash should be coming in. Picking regularly keeps beans, squash and cucumbers producing.

Questions gardeners ask

What can I plant in zone 10 in October?

30 crops have a window in October: bush bean, carrot, kale, radicchio, collard greens, endive & escarole, napa cabbage, parsley, pea, swiss chard and more. The tables above give the exact dates for each.

When are the last and first frost in zone 10?

The typical last spring frost is around Jan 30 and the first fall frost around Dec 15. These are broad zone averages, so your own town can be a week or two either side: look yours up by ZIP code in the planting calendar.

What can I harvest in zone 10 in October?

From plantings made on time: ginger, turmeric, zucchini / summer squash.

October in states with land in zone 10

ArizonaCaliforniaFloridaNevadaTexas

Zone 10 in other months

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberNovemberDecemberZone 10 overview →

What to plant in October in other zones

Zone 3Zone 4Zone 5Zone 6Zone 7Zone 8Zone 9All states →

Dates are computed from the zone’s typical frost dates and each crop’s timing in our crop database. Your garden may be a week or two either side.