Bakersfield, CA · zone 9b · ~317 frost-free days
When to plant in Bakersfield: frost dates and zone 9b.
In Bakersfield, the typical last spring frost lands around Jan 27 and the first fall frost around Dec 10, giving you about 317 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Bakersfield, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Dec 23 to Feb 22 | Feb 3 to Apr 5 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Dec 20 to Feb 3 | Sep 26 to Nov 25 |
| Carrot | — | Dec 20 to Jan 22 | Sep 14 to Oct 10 |
| Bush Bean | — | Jan 27 to Mar 19 | Aug 26 to Sep 28 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Feb 3 to May 5 | Aug 9 to Sep 9 |
| Pepper, bell | Jan 1 to Feb 22 | Feb 12 to Apr 5 | — |
| Kale | Nov 8 to Dec 6 | Dec 20 to Jan 17 | Sep 9 to Oct 25 |
| Spinach | — | Dec 6 to Jan 17 | Sep 26 to Nov 14 |
Bakersfield sits in Zone 9b, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Bakersfield garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 93301 in about 60 seconds.
Bakersfield planting questions
What planting zone is Bakersfield, CA?+
Bakersfield is in USDA hardiness zone 9b. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 9b here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Bakersfield?+
The typical last spring frost in Bakersfield, CA is around Jan 27. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Bakersfield?+
The typical first fall frost in Bakersfield, CA arrives around Dec 10, closing a growing season of roughly 317 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Bakersfield?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Jan 27. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.