🌱 100% Organic & Heirloom Gardening • Florida Zone & Month Planting Calendar

About us Write for Us FAQ
Amaral Farm Organic & Heirloom Homestead
Florida Growing Zones 8a – 11a • January – December

Florida Zone 9b Monthly Planting Calendar

Select your Florida USDA hardiness zone and month below to explore our seasonal planting charts, seed-starting windows, and organic field notes. New zone and month guides appear here automatically as they are published.

Step 1 • Choose Your Florida Hardiness Zone
All Florida Zones Zone 8a Zone 8b Zone 9a Zone 9b Zone 10a Zone 10b Zone 11a

Zone 9b (Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland, Daytona & Central FL): Avg. winter minimum 25°F to 30°F • Frost window: Mid-Dec – Mid-Feb

Step 2 • Choose Planting Month
All 12 Months January February March April May June July August September October November December
Reset filters (View all zones & months) →
Matched Planting Guides

Published Guides for Zone 9b

Statewide Reference

Understanding Florida's USDA Hardiness Zones (8a to 11a)

Unlike northern states that follow a single spring-to-autumn growing calendar, Florida spans four distinct climatic bands—from temperate North Florida and the Panhandle (Zones 8a and 8b) through transitional North-Central and Central Florida (Zones 9a and 9b) down to subtropical South Florida (Zones 10a and 10b) and the tropical Florida Keys (Zone 11a). Knowing your specific sub-zone and planting month is the difference between harvesting crisp, sweet brassicas all winter and watching cool-season crops bolt in sudden warm spells.

Florida Zone Key Cities & Regions Avg. Winter Low Typical Frost Window Filter Guides
Zone 8a Western Panhandle & Northern Border 10°F to 15°F Mid-Nov – Late Mar View Zone 8a →
Zone 8b Tallahassee, Pensacola & North Florida 15°F to 20°F Late Nov – Mid-Mar View Zone 8b →
Zone 9a Jacksonville, Gainesville, Ocala & St. Augustine 20°F to 25°F Dec – Late Feb View Zone 9a →
Zone 9b Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland, Daytona & Central FL 25°F to 30°F Mid-Dec – Mid-Feb View Zone 9b →
Zone 10a Sarasota, Fort Myers, Vero Beach & Naples 30°F to 35°F Occasional Jan frost View Zone 10a →
Zone 10b Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm & Homestead 35°F to 40°F Frost-free subtropical View Zone 10b →
Zone 11a Florida Keys & Southernmost Coastal Strip 40°F to 45°F Year-round tropical View Zone 11a →

How Florida's Three Major Gardening Seasons Work

Across most of the Sunshine State, successful organic gardeners divide the year into three distinct planting windows rather than one:

  • Fall & Winter Cool Season (October – February): As summer humidity breaks and night temperatures cool into the 50s and 60s, Central and South Florida enter their most productive vegetable season. Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, cabbage, carrots, radishes, beets, lettuce, spinach, peas, strawberries, and culinary herbs thrive with minimal pest pressure and gentle winter sunshine.
  • Spring Warm Season (February – May): Once the threat of late freezes passes—mid-February in Zone 9b and early March in Zones 8b and 9a—warm-season crops take center stage. Heirloom tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, bush and pole beans, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet corn, and watermelons grow rapidly before midsummer night temperatures climb above 75°F.
  • Tropical Summer Season (June – September): When daily thunderstorms, intense UV radiation, and high night humidity arrive, heat-loving crops keep the homestead productive. Southern cowpeas, yardlong beans, okra, calabaza squash, sweet potatoes, tropical spinaches, ginger, turmeric, and pollinator-attracting zinnias and sunflowers flourish through the warmest months while raised beds are replenished with compost and organic mulch.
Downloadable Handbooks

Deep-Dive Zone & Seasonal Gardening Ebooks

View all 9 ebooks →