San Bernardino, CA · zone 9b · ~297 frost-free days
When to plant in San Bernardino: frost dates and zone 9b.
In San Bernardino, the typical last spring frost lands around Feb 15 and the first fall frost around Dec 9, giving you about 297 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 San Bernardino, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Jan 11 to Mar 13 | Feb 22 to Apr 24 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Jan 8 to Feb 22 | Sep 25 to Nov 24 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 8 to Feb 10 | Sep 13 to Oct 9 |
| Bush Bean | — | Feb 15 to Apr 7 | Aug 25 to Sep 27 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Feb 22 to May 24 | Aug 8 to Sep 8 |
| Pepper, bell | Jan 20 to Mar 13 | Mar 3 to Apr 24 | — |
| Kale | Nov 27 to Dec 25 | Jan 8 to Feb 5 | Sep 8 to Oct 24 |
| Spinach | — | Dec 25 to Feb 5 | Sep 25 to Nov 13 |
San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino 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 92401 in about 60 seconds.
San Bernardino planting questions
What planting zone is San Bernardino, CA?+
San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino?+
The typical last spring frost in San Bernardino, CA is around Feb 15. 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 San Bernardino?+
The typical first fall frost in San Bernardino, CA arrives around Dec 9, closing a growing season of roughly 297 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in San Bernardino?+
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 15. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.