Tucson, AZ 85719 planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9b25 to 30 °F
- Last frost
- Feb 20avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 27avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 280days
Tucson, Arizona is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9b. Its average last spring frost is around February 20 and the first fall frost around November 27, giving a growing season of about 280 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Tucson planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Tucson's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Jan 1 – Jan 9 | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Apr 28 – May 18 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 | Mar 6 – Mar 13 | May 5 – Jun 4 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Jan 23 – Jan 30 | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Apr 18 – May 8 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Apr 13 – Apr 28 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Apr 18 – Apr 28 | Sep 28 – Oct 8 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 21 – May 21 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 9 – Jan 23 | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Mar 29 – Apr 13 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 9 – Jan 23 | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 9 – Mar 24 | Sep 14 – Sep 29 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 9 – Jan 23 | Mar 5 – Mar 20 | Sep 4 – Sep 19 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 9 – Jan 23 | Feb 18 – Feb 28 | Sep 24 – Oct 4 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 31 – Apr 20 | Aug 25 – Sep 14 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 1 – Jan 9 | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 19 – Apr 8 | Aug 30 – Sep 19 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00028796. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 12 | Apr 5 | Nov 16 | Dec 1 | 247 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 20 | Mar 11 | Nov 27 | Dec 12 | 280 |
| 28°F | Jan 30 | Feb 24 | Dec 10 | Jan 2 | 316 |
| 24°F | Jan 8 | Feb 6 | Dec 25 | Jan 26 | 359 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 7,312 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 10,855 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9b
Tucson sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 9b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 25 to 30 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 9b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Tucson?
- Tucson, Arizona is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 25 to 30 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Tucson?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around February 20, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as March 11, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Tucson?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 27. That leaves a growing season of about 280 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Tucson?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 1 – Jan 9 and transplant them outside about Feb 27 – Mar 6, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Apr 28 – May 18.
- How long is the growing season in Tucson?
- About 280 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~February 20) and the average first fall frost (~November 27). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USC00028796 (Tucson Camp Ave Exp, 4 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.