What to Plant in January in Zone 9

Here is what you can sow in January if you garden in USDA zone 9. Dates use typical zone 9 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.

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CropWindowSow between
Snap PeaSugar SnapspringDec 30 – Feb 10
PotatoKennebecspringJan 13 – Feb 15
CilantroCalypsospringJan 13 – Feb 27
ParsleyItalian Flat-LeafspringJan 13 – Feb 27
Lettuce, leafSalad BowlspringJan 13 – Feb 27
Lettuce, romaineChalupaspringJan 13 – Feb 15
Lettuce, headButtercrunchspringJan 13 – Feb 15
SpinachBloomsdalespringDec 30 – Feb 10
ArugulaAstrospringJan 13 – Feb 27
KaleDazzling BluespringJan 13 – Feb 10
Swiss ChardBright LightsspringJan 27 – Mar 13
CollardsGeorgia SouthernspringJan 13 – Feb 15
Mustard GreensFlorida BroadleafspringJan 13 – Feb 15
CabbageTiaraspringDec 30 – Jan 27
BroccoliBelstarspringDec 30 – Jan 27
CauliflowerSnow CrownspringDec 30 – Jan 26
KohlrabiWinnerspringJan 13 – Feb 15
CarrotNapolispringJan 13 – Feb 15
BeetDetroit Dark RedspringJan 13 – Feb 15
RadishCherry BellespringJan 13 – Feb 27
TurnipPurple TopspringJan 13 – Feb 15
Onion, bulbTexas LegendspringDec 13 – Jan 26
Onion, bunchingEvergreenspringJan 13 – Feb 27
Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Broad WindsorspringJan 9 – Feb 10
English Shelling PeaLittle MarvelspringDec 30 – Feb 10
Napa CabbageBlues F1springJan 6 – Jan 31
Bok ChoyJoi Choi F1springJan 9 – Feb 6
Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Zamboni F1springJan 1 – Jan 31
Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)Crispy BluespringJan 3 – Feb 2
TatsoiTatsoispringDec 27 – Jan 31
MizunaMizuna EarlyspringDec 27 – Feb 6
Daikon RadishMiyashigespringJan 6 – Jan 31
EndiveFrisée Fine MaraîchèrespringJan 13 – Feb 10
EscaroleBatavian Full HeartspringJan 13 – Feb 10
SorrelProfusionspringDec 30 – Feb 10
WatercressCommonspringJan 13 – Feb 10
CeleryTangospringJan 23 – Feb 20
ParsnipHollow CrownspringNov 28 – Jan 9
LeekLincolnspringNov 28 – Jan 9
ShallotAmbitionspringDec 26 – Jan 30
SalsifyMammoth Sandwich IslandspringDec 26 – Jan 30
Fennel, FlorenceOrionspringJan 9 – Feb 13
ChervilCurledspringJan 30 – Mar 6
Raspberry, redHeritage (everbearing)springJan 30 – Mar 6
GooseberryHinnonmaki RedspringJan 30 – Mar 6
Haskap (Honeyberry)BorealisspringJan 21 – Feb 27
AsparagusJersey KnightspringJan 30 – Mar 6
RhubarbVictoriaspringJan 21 – Mar 6
Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke)StampedespringJan 30 – Mar 13
Artichoke, globeImperial StarspringJan 23 – Feb 27
LettucespringJan 13 – Feb 27
OnionspringDec 13 – Jan 26
Calendula (Pot Marigold)ResinaspringJan 30 – Mar 6
Mache (Corn Salad)VitspringJan 6 – Feb 13
Cress, gardenCurledspringJan 13 – Mar 6
Currant, redRed LakespringJan 30 – Mar 6
Get your exact plan← DecemberFebruary →

Zone 9 in January

Zone 9 in January: brassicas race the calendar before the transplant window shuts

A frost or two still visits some nights

Zone 9 does not skip winter the way the far south does. Most years still deliver a handful of nights when the thermometer dips into the high 20s or low 30s, usually under a clear, calm sky. Keep a roll of frost cloth by the door and toss it over broccoli, cauliflower, and freshly set onion transplants any night the forecast calls for 34 degrees or colder, since cold air pools at ground level even when the official low reads higher.

This month rewards gardeners who treat the cold as a tool rather than an enemy. Fava beans, English peas, and the whole cabbage family actually taste sweeter after a light chill converts starches to sugar, so resist the urge to rush everything under cover. Save the frost cloth for true tender crops and freshly set transplants; once broccoli and cauliflower have a few weeks of roots down, they can ride out a 30 degree night uncovered same as the rest of the cabbage family.

The last call for cabbage family transplants

Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, napa cabbage, and rapini all need a long run of cool growth from transplant, 8 to 12 weeks depending on the crop and variety, before the days lengthen and warmth pushes them to bolt instead of head up. Get transplants in now, because once February's warmth arrives, a broccoli plant set out too late will often skip straight to a small, bitter flower head instead of a full crown.

The same clock runs for the alliums that need a cold head start: bulb onion, leek, and shallot all germinate slowly and need months in the ground before the heat locks in. Test onion sets by pressing one between two fingers; a firm set with no give is ready to plant, while a soft or spongy one has already started to rot and should be tossed rather than planted. Watch the closing dates on this group rather than assuming the whole month is open: bulb onion and shallot run on to the end of January, but leek and parsnip both shut on the 9th, so those two are a first-week job or not at all. Celeriac has already gone, closing the day after Christmas; if it is on your list it waits for next November, which is when zone 9 opens it.

January in zone 9: common questions

What can I plant in January in zone 9?+

In January, USDA zone 9 gardeners can sow Snap Pea, Potato, Cilantro, Parsley, Lettuce, leaf, Lettuce, romaine, and more. Dates use typical zone 9 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.

What USDA hardiness zone am I in?+

Zone 9 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 9 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.