Planting windows for Lake Charles
Computed from Lake Charles'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 | Dec 20 – Jan 3 | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Dec 6 – Dec 20 | Feb 28 – Mar 7 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Jan 3 – Jan 17 | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Jan 17 – Feb 14 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Jan 3 – Jan 17 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Jan 24 – Feb 14 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Dec 27 – Jan 10 | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Jan 3 – Jan 17 | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Jan 17 – Jan 31 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Jan 17 – Jan 24 | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Feb 21 – Feb 28 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Jan 17 – Jan 24 | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Feb 21 – Feb 28 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Feb 21 – Feb 28 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Feb 21 – Feb 28 |
| 🌿 Basil | Jan 3 – Jan 17 | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Feb 28 – Mar 7 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Oct 26 – Nov 23 |
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 Lake Charles's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Lake Charles
With roughly 296 frost-free days, Lake Charles 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 7 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.