When to Plant Kale in California
California spans USDA hardiness 5b to 11a (zones 5b to 11a on this page). Plant kale 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
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 5b
Average last spring frost
April 30
Average first fall frost
October 5
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Feb 26
Transplant outdoors
Apr 2
Projected first harvest
May 27
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 13
Transplant outdoors
Aug 17
Projected first harvest
Oct 11
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 6a
Average last spring frost
April 25
Average first fall frost
October 10
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Feb 21
Transplant outdoors
Mar 28
Projected first harvest
May 22
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 18
Transplant outdoors
Aug 22
Projected first harvest
Oct 16
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 6b
Average last spring frost
April 20
Average first fall frost
October 15
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Feb 16
Transplant outdoors
Mar 23
Projected first harvest
May 17
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 23
Transplant outdoors
Aug 27
Projected first harvest
Oct 21
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 7a
Average last spring frost
April 15
Average first fall frost
October 20
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Feb 11
Transplant outdoors
Mar 18
Projected first harvest
May 12
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 28
Transplant outdoors
Sep 1
Projected first harvest
Oct 26
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 7b
Average last spring frost
April 10
Average first fall frost
October 30
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Feb 6
Transplant outdoors
Mar 13
Projected first harvest
May 7
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Aug 7
Transplant outdoors
Sep 11
Projected first harvest
Nov 5
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 8a
Average last spring frost
April 1
Average first fall frost
November 10
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Jan 28
Transplant outdoors
Mar 4
Projected first harvest
Apr 28
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Aug 18
Transplant outdoors
Sep 22
Projected first harvest
Nov 16
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 8 guide (both 8a and 8b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 8b
Average last spring frost
March 20
Average first fall frost
November 20
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Jan 16
Transplant outdoors
Feb 20
Projected first harvest
Apr 16
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Aug 28
Transplant outdoors
Oct 2
Projected first harvest
Nov 26
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 8 guide (both 8a and 8b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 9a
Average last spring frost
March 1
Average first fall frost
December 1
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Dec 28
Transplant outdoors
Feb 1
Projected first harvest
Mar 28
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Sep 8
Transplant outdoors
Oct 13
Projected first harvest
Dec 7
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 9 guide (both 9a and 9b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 9b
Average last spring frost
February 15
Average first fall frost
December 15
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Dec 14
Transplant outdoors
Jan 18
Projected first harvest
Mar 14
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Sep 22
Transplant outdoors
Oct 27
Projected first harvest
Dec 21
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 9 guide (both 9a and 9b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 10a
Average last spring frost
January 30
Average first fall frost
December 30
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Nov 28
Transplant outdoors
Jan 2
Projected first harvest
Feb 26
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Oct 7
Transplant outdoors
Nov 11
Projected first harvest
Jan 5
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 10 guide (both 10a and 10b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 10b
Average last spring frost
January 30
Average first fall frost
December 30
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Nov 28
Transplant outdoors
Jan 2
Projected first harvest
Feb 26
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Oct 7
Transplant outdoors
Nov 11
Projected first harvest
Jan 5
spring planting
fall planting
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 days depending on the variety. Full zone 10 guide (both 10a and 10b) →
Kale planting calendar for California, Zone 11a
Zone 11a doesn't get a seasonal frost — kale plants on a warm/cool-season calendar instead of frost dates.
Best planting window
Cool season (≈ Sep–Feb)
Time to harvest
~55 days
🌴 Your zone never frosts, so planting is timed to the cooler vs. warmer seasons rather than a frost date.
Most kale mature in about 55 to 60 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
3 varieties of kale in the HomeSown library. Tap any for its full grow guide.
Common problems with kale
What to watch for, with identification and treatment for each
🌱 Grow kale with a calendar built for your exact yard
HomeSown turns your ZIP code into a personalized planting calendar, watering reminders, and pest help. Free to start.
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