Zone 9 · January · 6 weeks before last frost
What to plant in January in Zone 9
Typical last frost in zone 9 is around Mar 1, and first frost around Nov 15. Most of the northern zone map is dormant and most of the southern map is in its cool-season window. January work is planning, seed ordering, and indoor starts for the longest-season crops.
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)
- Basil — window Jan 18 – Feb 1 (2 gal, 8" deep)
- Kale — window Jan 25 – Feb 8 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Hot Pepper — window Jan 4 – Jan 18 (3 gal, 12" 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.
No transplanting window is open this month here.
Direct sow
Sow straight into the final pot. These crops resent root disturbance, and transplanting them usually costs more time than it saves.
No direct-sowing window this month in this zone.
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
- Bush Bean — next window opens in March. Starting it now means 2 months of impatient waiting, or a plant that stalls.
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.
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