Mesa, AZ · zone 10a · ~299 frost-free days
When to plant in Mesa: frost dates and zone 10a.
In Mesa, the typical last spring frost lands around Feb 10 and the first fall frost around Dec 6, giving you about 299 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 Mesa, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Jan 6 to Mar 8 | Feb 17 to Apr 19 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Jan 3 to Feb 17 | Sep 22 to Nov 21 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 3 to Feb 5 | Sep 10 to Oct 6 |
| Bush Bean | — | Feb 10 to Apr 2 | Aug 22 to Sep 24 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Feb 17 to May 19 | Aug 5 to Sep 5 |
| Pepper, bell | Jan 15 to Mar 8 | Feb 26 to Apr 19 | — |
| Kale | Nov 22 to Dec 20 | Jan 3 to Jan 31 | Sep 5 to Oct 21 |
| Spinach | — | Dec 20 to Jan 31 | Sep 22 to Nov 10 |
Mesa 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 Mesa 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 85201 in about 60 seconds.
Mesa planting questions
What planting zone is Mesa, AZ?+
Mesa 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 Mesa?+
The typical last spring frost in Mesa, AZ is around Feb 10. 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 Mesa?+
The typical first fall frost in Mesa, AZ arrives around Dec 6, closing a growing season of roughly 299 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Mesa?+
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 Feb 10. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.