When to Plant Cauliflower in California
California spans USDA hardiness 5b to 11a (zones 5b to 11a on this page). Plant cauliflower by your local frost date, not the calendar — pick your zone below for exact start-indoors, transplant, and harvest dates.
Jump to: Zone 5b · Zone 6a · Zone 6b · Zone 7a · Zone 7b · Zone 8a · Zone 8b · Zone 9a · Zone 9b · Zone 10a · Zone 10b · Zone 11a
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 5b
Average last spring frost
April 30
Average first fall frost
October 5
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Mar 19
Transplant outdoors
Apr 16
Projected first harvest
Jul 10
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
May 25
Transplant outdoors
Jun 29
Projected first harvest
Sep 22
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 6a
Average last spring frost
April 25
Average first fall frost
October 10
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Mar 14
Transplant outdoors
Apr 11
Projected first harvest
Jul 5
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
May 30
Transplant outdoors
Jul 4
Projected first harvest
Sep 27
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 6b
Average last spring frost
April 20
Average first fall frost
October 15
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Mar 9
Transplant outdoors
Apr 6
Projected first harvest
Jun 30
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jun 4
Transplant outdoors
Jul 9
Projected first harvest
Oct 2
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 7a
Average last spring frost
April 15
Average first fall frost
October 20
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Mar 4
Transplant outdoors
Apr 1
Projected first harvest
Jun 25
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jun 9
Transplant outdoors
Jul 14
Projected first harvest
Oct 7
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 7b
Average last spring frost
April 10
Average first fall frost
October 30
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Feb 27
Transplant outdoors
Mar 27
Projected first harvest
Jun 20
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jun 19
Transplant outdoors
Jul 24
Projected first harvest
Oct 17
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 8a
Average last spring frost
April 1
Average first fall frost
November 10
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Feb 18
Transplant outdoors
Mar 18
Projected first harvest
Jun 11
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jun 30
Transplant outdoors
Aug 4
Projected first harvest
Oct 28
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 8 guide (both 8a and 8b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 8b
Average last spring frost
March 20
Average first fall frost
November 20
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Feb 6
Transplant outdoors
Mar 6
Projected first harvest
May 30
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 10
Transplant outdoors
Aug 14
Projected first harvest
Nov 7
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 8 guide (both 8a and 8b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 9a
Average last spring frost
March 1
Average first fall frost
December 1
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Jan 18
Transplant outdoors
Feb 15
Projected first harvest
May 11
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 21
Transplant outdoors
Aug 25
Projected first harvest
Nov 18
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 9 guide (both 9a and 9b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 9b
Average last spring frost
February 15
Average first fall frost
December 15
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Jan 4
Transplant outdoors
Feb 1
Projected first harvest
Apr 27
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Aug 4
Transplant outdoors
Sep 8
Projected first harvest
Dec 2
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 9 guide (both 9a and 9b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 10a
Average last spring frost
January 30
Average first fall frost
December 30
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Dec 19
Transplant outdoors
Jan 16
Projected first harvest
Apr 11
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Aug 19
Transplant outdoors
Sep 23
Projected first harvest
Dec 17
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 10 guide (both 10a and 10b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 10b
Average last spring frost
January 30
Average first fall frost
December 30
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Dec 19
Transplant outdoors
Jan 16
Projected first harvest
Apr 11
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Aug 19
Transplant outdoors
Sep 23
Projected first harvest
Dec 17
spring planting
fall planting
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety. Full zone 10 guide (both 10a and 10b) →
Cauliflower planting calendar for California, Zone 11a
Zone 11a doesn't get a seasonal frost — cauliflower plants on a warm/cool-season calendar instead of frost dates.
Best planting window
Cool season (≈ Sep–Feb)
Time to harvest
~85 days
🌴 Your zone never frosts, so planting is timed to the cooler vs. warmer seasons rather than a frost date.
Most cauliflower mature in about 70 to 200 days depending on the variety.
Not sure which half-zone you're in? Set your ZIP in HomeSown for dates tuned to your exact location.
Varieties to grow
4 varieties of cauliflower in the HomeSown library. Tap any for its full grow guide.
Common problems with cauliflower
What to watch for, with identification and treatment for each
🌱 Grow cauliflower with a calendar built for your exact yard
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