What to Plant in January in Zone 10
Here is what you can sow in January if you garden in USDA zone 10. Dates use typical zone 10 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
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| Crop | Window | Sow between |
|---|---|---|
| Bush BeanProvider | spring | Jan 31 – Mar 23 |
| Snap PeaSugar Snap | spring | Dec 10 – Jan 21 |
| PotatoKennebec | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 26 |
| CilantroCalypso | spring | Dec 24 – Feb 7 |
| ParsleyItalian Flat-Leaf | spring | Dec 24 – Feb 7 |
| Lettuce, leafSalad Bowl | spring | Dec 24 – Feb 7 |
| Lettuce, romaineChalupa | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 26 |
| Lettuce, headButtercrunch | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 26 |
| SpinachBloomsdale | spring | Dec 10 – Jan 21 |
| ArugulaAstro | spring | Dec 24 – Feb 7 |
| KaleDazzling Blue | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 21 |
| Swiss ChardBright Lights | spring | Jan 7 – Feb 21 |
| CollardsGeorgia Southern | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 26 |
| Mustard GreensFlorida Broadleaf | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 26 |
| CabbageTiara | spring | Dec 10 – Jan 7 |
| BroccoliBelstar | spring | Dec 10 – Jan 7 |
| CauliflowerSnow Crown | spring | Dec 10 – Jan 6 |
| KohlrabiWinner | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 26 |
| CarrotNapoli | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 26 |
| BeetDetroit Dark Red | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 26 |
| RadishCherry Belle | spring | Dec 24 – Feb 7 |
| TurnipPurple Top | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 26 |
| Onion, bulbTexas Legend | spring | Nov 23 – Jan 6 |
| Onion, bunchingEvergreen | spring | Dec 24 – Feb 7 |
| Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Broad Windsor | spring | Dec 20 – Jan 21 |
| English Shelling PeaLittle Marvel | spring | Dec 10 – Jan 21 |
| Garbanzo Bean (Chickpea)Sierra | spring | Jan 17 – Feb 21 |
| Napa CabbageBlues F1 | spring | Dec 17 – Jan 11 |
| Bok ChoyJoi Choi F1 | spring | Dec 20 – Jan 17 |
| Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Zamboni F1 | spring | Dec 12 – Jan 11 |
| Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)Crispy Blue | spring | Dec 14 – Jan 13 |
| TatsoiTatsoi | spring | Dec 7 – Jan 11 |
| MizunaMizuna Early | spring | Dec 7 – Jan 17 |
| Daikon RadishMiyashige | spring | Dec 17 – Jan 11 |
| EndiveFrisée Fine Maraîchère | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 21 |
| EscaroleBatavian Full Heart | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 21 |
| SorrelProfusion | spring | Dec 10 – Jan 21 |
| Amaranth LeafRed Garnet | spring | Jan 31 – Feb 21 |
| New Zealand SpinachCommon | spring | Jan 31 – Feb 14 |
| WatercressCommon | spring | Dec 24 – Jan 21 |
| CeleryTango | spring | Jan 3 – Jan 31 |
| ShallotAmbition | spring | Dec 6 – Jan 10 |
| SalsifyMammoth Sandwich Island | spring | Dec 6 – Jan 10 |
| Fennel, FlorenceOrion | spring | Dec 20 – Jan 24 |
| Strawberry, day-neutralAlbion | spring | Jan 17 – Feb 21 |
| DillFernleaf | spring | Jan 24 – Mar 14 |
| OreganoGreek | spring | Jan 24 – Mar 14 |
| ThymeEnglish | spring | Jan 24 – Mar 14 |
| RosemaryTuscan Blue | spring | Jan 31 – Mar 14 |
| SageBroadleaf | spring | Jan 31 – Mar 14 |
| MintSpearmint | spring | Jan 31 – Mar 28 |
| ChivesCommon | spring | Jan 17 – Mar 14 |
| ChervilCurled | spring | Jan 10 – Feb 14 |
| BlueberryBluecrop (northern highbush) | spring | Jan 17 – Mar 2 |
| Raspberry, redHeritage (everbearing) | spring | Jan 10 – Feb 14 |
| BlackberryTriple Crown (thornless) | spring | Jan 17 – Feb 21 |
| Strawberry, June-bearingHoneoye | spring | Jan 17 – Feb 21 |
| GooseberryHinnonmaki Red | spring | Jan 10 – Feb 14 |
| Haskap (Honeyberry)Borealis | spring | Jan 1 – Feb 7 |
| ElderberryAdams | spring | Jan 17 – Mar 2 |
| AsparagusJersey Knight | spring | Jan 10 – Feb 14 |
| RhubarbVictoria | spring | Jan 1 – Feb 14 |
| HorseradishBig Top | spring | Jan 17 – Mar 2 |
| Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke)Stampede | spring | Jan 10 – Feb 21 |
| Artichoke, globeImperial Star | spring | Jan 3 – Feb 7 |
| LavenderMunstead (English) | spring | Jan 31 – Mar 14 |
| BorageCommon | spring | Jan 31 – Apr 11 |
| Catmint (Catnip)Nepeta cataria | spring | Jan 31 – Apr 1 |
| Bean | spring | Jan 31 – Mar 23 |
| Lettuce | spring | Dec 24 – Feb 7 |
| Onion | spring | Nov 23 – Jan 6 |
| NasturtiumJewel Mix | spring | Jan 31 – Mar 14 |
| Calendula (Pot Marigold)Resina | spring | Jan 10 – Feb 14 |
| Chamomile, GermanCommon | spring | Jan 17 – Feb 28 |
| Mache (Corn Salad)Vit | spring | Dec 17 – Jan 24 |
| Cress, gardenCurled | spring | Dec 24 – Feb 14 |
| Currant, redRed Lake | spring | Jan 10 – Feb 14 |
Zone 10 in January
Zone 10 in January: frost, where it shows up at all, comes late
A different kind of cold season
Most of zone 10 stays functionally frost-free all winter; where a true frost does show up it is mostly an inland or low-lying pocket event, and even there a night dropping near 32 degrees tends to land in the back half of this month rather than the front. That means January here is planted into the tail end of the cold season, not out from under it: instead of racing to beat a hard freeze, the main risk is a warm stretch tricking cool season crops into bolting before they ever size up.
Check overnight forecasts for lows near 40 degrees rather than 32; tender seedlings in zone 10 are more often set back by a cold, wet week than by an actual freeze, and a plastic cloche over new transplants for their first 10 days does more good here than frost cloth saved for a freeze that may not come at all.
The list opens wide, fast
Close to 80 crops are workable this month, well ahead of colder zones, but most of them opened back in December rather than now. What January adds is a different character entirely: this is when the perennials come in. Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, gooseberry, currant, asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish, sunchoke and globe artichoke all open between the 10th and the 17th, and the first warm-season crops follow at the end of the month with bush bean, chickpea, and the woody herbs.
The long-season winter crops are heading the other way, and that catches people out. Bulb onion closes on the 6th and shallot on the 10th, while leek, parsnip and celeriac all opened back in November and December and are already shut here. If those are not in the ground by the first week of January they wait for next autumn, so January is the month to plant a perennial, not to start a leek.
Chill hours are the one thing working against you this month rather than for you. Northern highbush blueberry and most cold-climate stone fruit varieties need 800 to 1,000 hours below 45 degrees to break dormancy properly, a total zone 10 winters almost never reach, so plant only southern highbush cultivars selected for that lower range, or others explicitly tagged low chill, when adding fruiting shrubs now.
January in zone 10: common questions
What can I plant in January in zone 10?+
In January, USDA zone 10 gardeners can sow Bush Bean, Snap Pea, Potato, Cilantro, Parsley, Lettuce, leaf, and more. Dates use typical zone 10 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
What USDA hardiness zone am I in?+
Zone 10 is one band of the map, but planting time is set by your local frost dates, not the zone number. Enter your ZIP code in the free planner and it uses your actual frost dates, which can differ by weeks within a single zone.
Are these January planting dates exact?+
They are typical zone 10 windows. Two gardens in the same zone can be a week or two apart because of elevation and local climate, so treat these as a starting point and tune them to your ZIP code with the free planner.