Knowing what to plant when is confusing. Does parsley like hot or cold weather? what can I plant on a 100°F September day (not much)? Why does this lettuce seed pack tell me I can grow this in summer but you say I can’t? I work with kids who want to plant watermelons despite what time of the year it is.

To add to the confusion, planting largely depends where you are in the county. Seed packs offer generalized planting guides but Tuscon is a different climate than Detroit.

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Even within one city, there are many microclimates. In Los Angeles, I maintain a garden in a canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, it gets cold. By November the frost has knocked out my tomato plants. My home garden, on the other hand, in the San Fernando Valley, had a tomato plant still producing until last night, January 25!

I created this planting guide for Southern California. Considering that please keep in mind that it is not gospel. Southern California has deserts, coastal zones and snowy mountains. But, it is a good overview of what you can plant when.

People in other parts of the county may find it useful too, just take your climate into account. I get all of my carrot seeds into the ground by early/mid spring because it gets too hot after that but if you have mild summers you may be able to sow carrots throughout June, July and August.

The Carrot Revolution Planting Guide (1)