Mission Canyon, CA planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9b25 to 30 °F
- Last frost
- Jan 11avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Dec 16avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 342days
Mission Canyon, California is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9b. Its average last spring frost is around January 11 and the first fall frost around December 16, giving a growing season of about 342 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.
Mission Canyon planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Mission Canyon'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 18 – Jan 25 | Mar 19 – Apr 8 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 | Jan 25 – Feb 1 | Mar 26 – Apr 25 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Jan 1 | Jan 18 – Jan 25 | Mar 9 – Mar 29 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jan 18 – Jan 25 | Mar 4 – Mar 19 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jan 18 – Jan 25 | Mar 9 – Mar 19 | Oct 17 – Oct 27 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Jan 11 – Jan 25 | Mar 12 – Apr 11 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 1 | Jan 18 – Jan 25 | Feb 17 – Mar 4 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 15 – Mar 2 | Oct 3 – Oct 18 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 1 | Feb 25 – Mar 12 | Sep 23 – Oct 8 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 1 | Feb 10 – Feb 20 | Oct 13 – Oct 23 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Jan 1 | Mar 2 – Mar 22 | Sep 13 – Oct 3 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 25 – Mar 17 | Sep 18 – Oct 8 |
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 USW00023190. 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 | Feb 13 | Mar 17 | Dec 1 | Dec 20 | 290 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Jan 11 | Feb 13 | Dec 16 | Jan 18 | 342 |
| 28°F | Dec 30 | Jan 18 | Dec 26 | Jan 12 | 365 |
| 24°F | — | — | — | — | 365 |
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) | 3,460 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 7,047 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9b
Mission Canyon 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 Mission Canyon?
- Mission Canyon, California 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 Mission Canyon?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around January 11, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as February 13, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Mission Canyon?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around December 16. That leaves a growing season of about 342 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Mission Canyon?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 1 and transplant them outside about Jan 18 – Jan 25, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Mar 19 – Apr 8.
- How long is the growing season in Mission Canyon?
- About 342 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~January 11) and the average first fall frost (~December 16). 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 USW00023190 (Santa Barbara Muni Ap, 29 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.