When to Plant Rutabaga in California
California spans USDA hardiness 5b to 11a (zones 5b to 11a on this page). Plant rutabaga 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
Rutabaga 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
Jun 1
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 6
Transplant outdoors
Aug 10
Projected first harvest
Oct 9
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →
Rutabaga 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 27
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 11
Transplant outdoors
Aug 15
Projected first harvest
Oct 14
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Rutabaga 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 22
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 16
Transplant outdoors
Aug 20
Projected first harvest
Oct 19
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Rutabaga 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 17
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 21
Transplant outdoors
Aug 25
Projected first harvest
Oct 24
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →
Rutabaga 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 12
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jul 31
Transplant outdoors
Sep 4
Projected first harvest
Nov 3
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →
Rutabaga 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
May 3
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Aug 11
Transplant outdoors
Sep 15
Projected first harvest
Nov 14
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 8 guide (both 8a and 8b) →
Rutabaga 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 21
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Aug 21
Transplant outdoors
Sep 25
Projected first harvest
Nov 24
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 8 guide (both 8a and 8b) →
Rutabaga 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
Apr 2
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Sep 1
Transplant outdoors
Oct 6
Projected first harvest
Dec 5
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 9 guide (both 9a and 9b) →
Rutabaga 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 19
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Sep 15
Transplant outdoors
Oct 20
Projected first harvest
Dec 19
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 9 guide (both 9a and 9b) →
Rutabaga 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
Mar 3
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Sep 30
Transplant outdoors
Nov 4
Projected first harvest
Jan 3
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 10 guide (both 10a and 10b) →
Rutabaga 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
Mar 3
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Sep 30
Transplant outdoors
Nov 4
Projected first harvest
Jan 3
spring planting
fall planting
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 days depending on the variety. Full zone 10 guide (both 10a and 10b) →
Rutabaga planting calendar for California, Zone 11a
Zone 11a doesn't get a seasonal frost — rutabaga plants on a warm/cool-season calendar instead of frost dates.
Best planting window
Cool season (≈ Sep–Feb)
Time to harvest
~60 days
🌴 Your zone never frosts, so planting is timed to the cooler vs. warmer seasons rather than a frost date.
Most rutabaga mature in about 50 to 90 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 rutabaga in the HomeSown library. Tap any for its full grow guide.
Common problems with rutabaga
What to watch for, with identification and treatment for each
🌱 Grow rutabaga with a calendar built for your exact yard
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