USDA Zone 12 planting guide

363 frost-free days

USDA hardiness zone 12 runs through 1 city we cover, with a long growing season of about 363 frost-free days.Frost isn’t one date across a whole zone, so these are ranges — each city page uses its own nearest NOAA station.

Last spring frost

January 26 – January 26

earliest to latest · 50% · 32°F

First fall frost

January 24 – January 24

earliest to latest · 50% · 32°F

Growing season

363 – 363 days

median 363 · frost-free

What to plant in Zone 12

102 crops fit the season

With about 363 frost-free days, these crops have time to reach maturity. Open a crop for its exact indoor-start, transplant, and direct-sow dates, or check a city below for exact local timing.

Vegetables

Acorn Squash Amaranth Arugula Beet Bitter Melon Bok Choy Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Bush Bean Butternut Squash Cabbage Cantaloupe Cardoon Carrot Cassava Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Chayote Claytonia (Miner's Lettuce)Collards Corn Salad (Mâche)Cowpea (Southern Pea)Cucumber Delicata Squash Edamame Eggplant Endive Escarole Fennel (Bulb)Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)Globe Artichoke Gourd Ground Cherry Honeydew Melon Hot Pepper Jerusalem Artichoke (Sunchoke)Kale Kohlrabi Leek Lettuce Lima Bean Luffa Malabar Spinach Mizuna Molokhia Muskmelon Mustard Greens Napa Cabbage New Zealand Spinach Okra Onion Orach Parsnip Peas Pepper Pole Bean Popcorn Potato Pumpkin Purslane Radicchio Radish Runner Bean Rutabaga Salsify Scallion (Green Onion)Scorzonera Shallot Shungiku (Edible Chrysanthemum)Spaghetti Squash Spinach Summer Squash Sunflower Sweet Corn Sweet Potato Swiss Chard Tatsoi Tomatillo Tomato Turnip Watercress Watermelon Winter Squash Yardlong Bean Zucchini

Herbs

Anise Basil Borage Caraway Chervil Cilantro Coriander (Seed)Dill Epazote Fenugreek German Chamomile Marjoram Parsley Shiso (Perilla)Summer Savory

Fruits

Strawberry

Cities in Zone 12

1 city

KapaaHI · 12a

Zone 12 planting FAQ

What can I grow in USDA zone 12?

With about 363 frost-free days, zone 12 has time to mature 102 of the crops we track — including acorn squash, amaranth, anise, arugula, basil. See the full list above, each linked to its planting dates.

What are the frost dates for zone 12?

Across zone 12, the last spring frost falls between January 26 and January 26, and the first fall frost between January 24 and January 24 (50% chance, 32°F). Your city page gives the exact dates for your location.

How long is the growing season in zone 12?

Zone 12 averages about 363 frost-free days, ranging from 363 to 363 days between its coolest and mildest cities.

Hardiness zones from the USDA/PRISM map · frost dates from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals, aggregated across this zone’s cities. How we compute this.