Planting windows for Hetch Hetchy
Computed from Hetch Hetchy's own frost dates. Click any crop for the full zone-9 growing guide — varieties, spacing, fall plantings, and more.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Transplant | Direct sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Apr 30 – May 7 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Mar 19 – Apr 16 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Mar 5 – Mar 19 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Mar 19 – Mar 26 | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | Apr 23 – Apr 30 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Mar 19 – Mar 26 | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | Apr 23 – Apr 30 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Apr 23 – Apr 30 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Apr 23 – Apr 30 |
| 🌿 Basil | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | Apr 30 – May 7 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Oct 1 – Oct 29 |
Want this for all 50 crops, or as a printable seed-shelf schedule? Use the planting calendar and the seed starting scheduler — both can use Hetch Hetchy's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Hetch Hetchy
With roughly 210 frost-free days, Hetch Hetchy gardens fit long-season crops — melons, winter squash, sweet potatoes — with room left for spring and fall rounds of greens and roots. The first frost around Nov 12 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.