Zone 10a Frost Dates & Planting Calendar

What zone 10a actually tells you

The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts a place in zone 10a when the coldest night of the year averaged 30 to 35°F (-1.1 to 1.7°C) over 1991–2020. The zone says which perennials survive the winter, not when to plant in spring.

Across the 20 NOAA stations behind zone 10a ZIP pages, the median 50% last spring frost is February 13 and the median first fall frost December 11; the last frost alone ranges from January 16 to May 5 from one station to another.

Frost dates answer the planting question, and they are read from the nearest NOAA station, not from the zone. The zone 10a ZIP codes here lie in 5 states; pick your own ZIP code below, or look up the zone of any ZIP code.