Planting windows for Mitchell Caverns
Computed from Mitchell Caverns'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 | Jan 9 – Jan 23 | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Dec 26 – Jan 9 | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Feb 6 – Feb 20 | Feb 6 – Mar 6 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Jan 23 – Feb 6 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Feb 13 – Mar 6 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Feb 6 – Feb 20 | Feb 6 – Feb 20 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Feb 6 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Mar 13 – Mar 20 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Feb 6 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Mar 13 – Mar 20 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Mar 13 – Mar 20 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Mar 13 – Mar 20 |
| 🌿 Basil | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Mar 20 – Mar 27 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Oct 27 – Nov 24 |
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 Mitchell Caverns's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Mitchell Caverns
With roughly 277 frost-free days, Mitchell Caverns 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 Dec 8 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.