Irvine, CA · zone 10a · ~354 frost-free days
When to plant in Irvine: frost dates and zone 10a.
In Irvine, the typical last spring frost lands around Jan 5 and the first fall frost around Dec 25, giving you about 354 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 Irvine, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Dec 1 to Jan 31 | Jan 12 to Mar 14 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Nov 28 to Jan 12 | Oct 11 to Dec 10 |
| Carrot | — | Nov 28 to Dec 31 | Sep 29 to Oct 25 |
| Bush Bean | — | Jan 5 to Feb 25 | Sep 10 to Oct 13 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Jan 12 to Apr 13 | Aug 24 to Sep 24 |
| Pepper, bell | Dec 10 to Jan 31 | Jan 21 to Mar 14 | — |
| Kale | Oct 17 to Nov 14 | Nov 28 to Dec 26 | Sep 24 to Nov 9 |
| Spinach | — | Nov 14 to Dec 26 | Oct 11 to Nov 29 |
Irvine sits in Zone 10a, 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 Irvine 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 92618 in about 60 seconds.
Irvine planting questions
What planting zone is Irvine, CA?+
Irvine is in USDA hardiness zone 10a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 10a 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 Irvine?+
The typical last spring frost in Irvine, CA is around Jan 5. 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 Irvine?+
The typical first fall frost in Irvine, CA arrives around Dec 25, closing a growing season of roughly 354 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Irvine?+
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 5. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.