Zone 9 · February · 2 weeks before last frost
What to plant in February in Zone 9
Typical last frost in zone 9 is around Mar 1, and first frost around Nov 15. Days lengthen faster than temperatures rise. Indoor seed-starting becomes worthwhile in cold zones, while warm zones are already harvesting spring greens.
Start indoors this month
Seed trays indoors, under a light or in the brightest window you have. These are slow crops that need a head start on the season.
- Cherry Tomato — window Jan 18 – Feb 1 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Loose-leaf Lettuce — window Feb 1 – Feb 15 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Basil — window Jan 18 – Feb 1 (2 gal, 8" deep)
- Kale — window Jan 25 – Feb 8 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Bush Cucumber — window Feb 8 – Feb 22 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Zucchini — window Feb 8 – Feb 22 (7 gal, 14" deep)
- Spinach — window Feb 1 – Feb 15 (2 gal, 6" deep)
Set out into the final container
Transplants go into the pot they will finish in. Hardening them off for four to five days first prevents most transplant shock.
- Kale — window Feb 15 – Feb 25 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Strawberry — window Feb 1 – Feb 11 (2 gal, 8" deep)
- Spinach — window Feb 8 – Feb 18 (2 gal, 6" deep)
Direct sow
Sow straight into the final pot. These crops resent root disturbance, and transplanting them usually costs more time than it saves.
- Loose-leaf Lettuce — window Feb 8 – Mar 1 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Radish — window Feb 8 – Mar 1 (1 gal, 6" deep)
- Kale — window Feb 15 – Mar 8 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Spinach — window Feb 1 – Feb 22 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Carrot — window Feb 15 – Mar 8 (3 gal, 12" deep)
Sow for autumn
A second sowing timed backwards from first frost. Fewer pests, less watering, and better flavour in most cool crops.
No autumn sowing window opens this month in this zone.
Harvesting this month
Nothing from our dataset is in its harvest window this month here.
Not this month
Everything in the dataset is either in an active window or already finished for the year. Nothing is badly timed this month.
Zone 9 at a glance
Zone 9 has around 230 frost-free days. Cool-season crops behave like winter crops here, and summer is the hard season rather than winter.