San Jose, CA Planting Dates — Moon Phase Garden

The four dates that matter

Date	When	What it means
Last spring frost (50%)	Feb 9	Half of all years see a freeze after this date. It is an average, not a guarantee.
Last spring frost (10%)	Mar 13	Only one year in ten freezes after this. Use it for anything you cannot afford to replant.
First fall frost (50%)	Dec 11	Half of all years freeze before this date. Fall crops are counted back from here.
First fall frost (10%)	Nov 20	An early-freeze year. If a crop must finish, aim to harvest before this.

USDA zone 9b 305 frost-free days Modelled estimate

Spring & summer planting in San Jose

Dates are calculated from this location's own last-frost date, not from a generic zone chart. “Best moon days” are the days inside each window that fall in the crop's traditional phase — the same rule the app uses.

Crop	Start seed indoors	Plant outdoors	Best moon days	Days to harvest
Cabbage transplant	Dec 8	Jan 5 – Feb 2	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	65–90
Collards either	Dec 29	Jan 5 – Feb 23	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	55–85
Kale either	Dec 29	Jan 5 – Feb 9	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	50–65
Lettuce (leaf) either	Jan 5	Jan 5 – Mar 2	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	40–55
Potato cloves/sets	—	Jan 5 – Feb 9	Feb 1 Full Moon	70–120
Radish direct sow	—	Jan 5 – Mar 2	Jan 5–9, Feb 2 Waning Gibbous	22–35
Turnip direct sow	—	Jan 5 – Feb 16	Jan 5–9, Feb 2 Waning Gibbous	40–60
Broccoli transplant	Dec 8	Jan 10 – Feb 9	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Brussels Sprouts transplant	Dec 8	Jan 10 – Feb 9	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	90–110
Leek transplant	Dec 1	Jan 10 – Feb 9	Feb 2–7 Waning Gibbous	100–120
Lettuce (head) transplant	Dec 22	Jan 10 – Feb 9	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	60–85
Parsley either	Dec 8	Jan 10 – Feb 16	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	70–90
Parsnip direct sow	—	Jan 10 – Feb 16	Feb 1 Full Moon	100–150
Shallot cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Jan 10 – Feb 9	Feb 2–7 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Beet direct sow	—	Jan 12 – Mar 2	Feb 1 Full Moon	50–65
Kohlrabi either	Dec 29	Jan 12 – Feb 16	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	45–60
Carrot direct sow	—	Jan 19 – Mar 2	Feb 1 Full Moon	65–85
Cauliflower transplant	Dec 8	Jan 19 – Feb 9	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Cilantro direct sow	—	Jan 19 – Mar 2	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	45–70
Swiss Chard direct sow	—	Jan 19 – Mar 11	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	50–60
Dill direct sow	—	Jan 26 – Mar 11	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	40–60
Cucumber either	Jan 19	Feb 9 – Mar 11	Feb 24 First Quarter	50–70
Green Beans (bush) direct sow	—	Feb 9 – Mar 26	Feb 24, Mar 25 First Quarter	50–65
Oregano transplant	Dec 15	Feb 9 – Mar 2	Feb 24 First Quarter	cut as needed
Sage transplant	Dec 15	Feb 9 – Mar 2	Feb 24 First Quarter	cut as needed
Sweet Corn direct sow	—	Feb 9 – Mar 26	Feb 24, Mar 25 First Quarter	60–100
Thyme transplant	Dec 15	Feb 9 – Mar 2	Feb 24 First Quarter	cut as needed
Zucchini / Summer Squash either	Jan 19	Feb 9 – Mar 11	Feb 24 First Quarter	45–60
Basil either	Dec 29	Feb 16 – Mar 11	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	30–60
Dry Beans direct sow	—	Feb 16 – Mar 16	Feb 24 First Quarter	85–100
Pole Beans direct sow	—	Feb 16 – Mar 21	Feb 24 First Quarter	60–75
Pumpkin direct sow	Jan 19	Feb 16 – Mar 16	Feb 24 First Quarter	90–120
Rosemary transplant	Feb 9	Feb 16 – Mar 11	Feb 24 First Quarter	cut as needed
Tomatillo transplant	Dec 29	Feb 16 – Mar 11	Feb 24 First Quarter	60–75
Tomato transplant	Dec 29	Feb 16 – Mar 11	Feb 24 First Quarter	60–85
Winter Squash direct sow	Jan 19	Feb 16 – Mar 16	Feb 24 First Quarter	85–110
Cantaloupe / Muskmelon either	Jan 19	Feb 23 – Mar 16	Feb 24 First Quarter	75–90
Eggplant transplant	Dec 15	Feb 23 – Mar 16	Feb 24 First Quarter	60–90
Okra direct sow	Jan 12	Feb 23 – Mar 21	Feb 24 First Quarter	50–70
Pepper transplant	Dec 15	Feb 23 – Mar 16	Feb 24 First Quarter	60–90
Sweet Potato slips	—	Feb 23 – Mar 21	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	90–150
Watermelon either	Jan 19	Feb 23 – Mar 16	Feb 24 First Quarter	70–90
Strawberry (crowns) transplant	—	Dec 11 – Jan 19	Jan 3 Full Moon	perennial — first real harvest next season
Garlic cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Dec 24 – Jan 24	Jan 4–9 Waning Gibbous	240–300
Asparagus (crowns) transplant	—	Dec 29 – Feb 2	Jan 25 First Quarter	perennial — first real harvest 2–3 years
Chives either	Dec 15	Dec 29 – Feb 2	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	75–90
Onion (from sets/transplants) cloves/sets	—	Dec 29 – Feb 2	Jan 4–9 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Peas (English/snap) direct sow	—	Dec 29 – Feb 2	Jan 25 First Quarter	55–75
Spinach direct sow	—	Dec 29 – Feb 2	Jan 19–24 Waxing Crescent	35–50

Fall planting in San Jose

Fall dates count backward from the first frost, and they add time back for the “fall factor” — days are shortening and cooling, so a crop grows slower than the seed packet promises. Sowing late is the single most common way a fall garden fails.

Crop	Sow or set out	Best moon days	Days to harvest	Hardiness
Tomato	Jul 26 – Aug 31	Aug 19	60–85	very tender
Brussels Sprouts	Jul 29 – Aug 15	Aug 13–15	90–110	hardy
Potato	Aug 3 – Sep 4	Aug 27	70–120	semi-hardy
Sweet Corn	Aug 8 – Aug 31	Aug 19	60–100	tender
Pole Beans	Aug 18 – Aug 31	Aug 19	60–75	tender
Parsley	Aug 21 – Sep 4	—	70–90	semi-hardy
Okra	Aug 23 – Sep 22	Sep 18	50–70	very tender
Cabbage	Aug 28 – Sep 9	—	65–90	hardy
Carrot	Aug 28 – Sep 9	—	65–85	semi-hardy
Collards	Aug 28 – Sep 19	Sep 11–16	55–85	hardy
Cucumber	Aug 28 – Sep 10	—	50–70	tender
Broccoli	Sep 2 – Sep 19	Sep 11–16	55–80	hardy
Cauliflower	Sep 2 – Sep 19	Sep 11–16	55–80	semi-hardy
Green Beans (bush)	Sep 2 – Sep 10	—	50–65	tender
Lettuce (head)	Sep 2 – Sep 14	Sep 11–14	60–85	semi-hardy
Peas (English/snap)	Sep 2 – Sep 19	Sep 18	55–75	hardy
Beet	Sep 7 – Sep 24	—	50–65	semi-hardy
Kale	Sep 7 – Sep 24	Sep 11–16	50–65	hardy
Swiss Chard	Sep 7 – Sep 24	Sep 11–16	50–60	semi-hardy
Zucchini / Summer Squash	Sep 7 – Sep 15	—	45–60	tender
Basil	Sep 12 – Sep 30	Sep 12–17	30–60	very tender
Kohlrabi	Sep 12 – Sep 29	Sep 12–17	45–60	hardy
Cilantro	Sep 17 – Sep 29	Sep 17	45–70	semi-hardy
Lettuce (leaf)	Sep 17 – Oct 4	Sep 17	40–55	semi-hardy
Turnip	Sep 17 – Oct 4	Sep 27–Oct 2	40–60	hardy
Spinach	Sep 22 – Oct 9	—	35–50	hardy
Dill	Sep 27 – Oct 4	—	40–60	semi-hardy
Radish	Sep 27 – Oct 22	Sep 27–Oct 2	22–35	hardy
Garlic	Nov 11 – Jan 1	Nov 25–29, Dec 24	240–300	hardy
Shallot	Nov 25 – Dec 26	Nov 25–29, Dec 24	90–120	hardy

Bottom line: the 50% frost date is a coin flip, not a green light. If you would be sick about losing a flat of tomatoes, plant to the Mar 13 date instead and keep a row cover handy either way.

Where these numbers come from

There is no long-record weather station inside San Jose itself, so these frost dates are modelled, not observed. They come from a half-degree climate grid built by fitting the freeze dates of 6,808 NOAA stations (1991–2020 Normals) against terrain and the USDA 2023 hardiness raster, then reading the cell your city sits in. Checked against the stations themselves, that model lands within about a week on average — and its zone matches the station's exactly 67% of the time and within one half-zone 97% of the time. A cell covers roughly 35 by 28 miles, so this is a neighborhood answer, not a backyard one. If there is a station-backed location near you, prefer it.

How precise is any of this?

Extension recommendations for the same crop routinely disagree by two to four weeks, and occasionally more, so these offsets should be presented as windows and starting points rather than deadlines. Three things drive the spread. (1) Regional risk tolerance: for warm-season crops, Colorado State and Utah State put tomatoes, peppers and melons out about 14 days after the last frost, while University of Missouri's calendar works out to roughly 25-35 days after the last frost and University of Maryland's window runs from the frost date itself out to 45 days past it. That is a real 6-week spread for the single most popular garden crop, and it exists because a short-season mountain state is optimizing against a short season while a humid continental state is optimizing against cold, wet spring soil. (2) Soil temperature versus calendar date: most Extension services now say the honest trigger is soil temperature at 4 inches, not the frost date, and the frost-relative number is a convenience translation. A cold, wet spring can push the real date two or three weeks past the calendar recommendation. (3) Days-to-maturity is variety-specific and is measured differently for direct-seeded versus transplanted crops - seed catalogs count from transplant date for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and cole crops, but from sowing for roots and greens - so a 'days to maturity' range of 60-85 for tomato is genuinely 60-85 depending on which packet you bought. Additionally, the average last frost is a 50% probability, meaning half of all years have a frost after that date; Extension services commonly advise waiting 1-2 weeks past it for anything frost-tender, or being prepared to cover. Treat every number here as plus or minus about 10-14 days.

On the station itself: a weather station is one point. Cities hold their heat, valleys pool cold air, and a garden on a north slope can run two weeks behind one a mile away. Treat this page as your starting point and let your own garden correct it — that is exactly what the journal in the app is for.

Nearby locations

Santa Clara, CA zone 9b Sunnyvale, CA zone 9b Fremont, CA zone 9b Redwood City, CA zone 9b Livermore, CA zone 9b Hayward, CA zone 10a

Want this on your phone, in your garden? Moon Phase Garden keeps your frost dates, your planting windows and tonight's moon phase in one place, works offline, and lets you override these dates with what your own garden actually does. Free and ad-free.

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