Frost dates · USDA zone 10b
Frost dates for Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara, CA sees its last 32 °F night of spring around January 13 and its first of fall around January 6 (next year) — a 365-day freeze-free season in a typical year.
Pick a sauce; the Plan Builder runs this station's dates and hands back the calendar, plant count and gear list.
Freeze odds, by date
| Odds | Last spring freeze after | First fall freeze before |
|---|---|---|
| 9 years in 10 | Dec 12 (prior winter) | Feb 22 (next year) |
| Median — 1 year in 2 | Jan 13 | Jan 6 (next year) |
| 1 year in 10 | Feb 24 | Dec 12 |
The top row is the risky edge: in 9 years of 10 a spring freeze still comes after it, so tender transplants set out then need cover. The bottom row is the cautious date — only 1 year in 10 freezes after it — and the one to plan uncovered tender transplants against. Freeze-free season: 365 days median, at least 360 in 9 years of 10, no freeze at all in 1 year of 10. NOAA ranks season length year by year, so it is not the gap between two rows above.
Santa Barbara planting calendar, 2027
Every row runs from the median last frost (Jan 13) and median first frost (Jan 6) above, using each cultivar's days to maturity. Same engine as the Plan Builder.
| Crop | Start indoors | Transplant / plant | First harvest | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardneck GarlicSiberian (porcelain hardneck) | — | Oct 15prior fall | Jun 12 | 240 from sow |
| Spanish OnionYellow Sweet Spanish (long-day) | Oct 21 | Dec 16 | Apr 5 | 110 from transplant |
| Mustard greensGarnet Giant (Brassica juncea) | Direct sow | Jan 13 | Feb 12 | 30 from sow |
| CilantroSlow Bolt (Coriandrum sativum) | Dec 30 | Dec 30 | Feb 13 | 45 from sow |
| Genovese BasilGenovese | Dec 16 | Jan 27 | Mar 28 | 60 from transplant |
| CayenneLong Slim Cayenne (Capsicum annuum) | Nov 18 | Jan 20 | Apr 5 | 75 from transplant |
| HabaneroOrange Habanero (Capsicum chinense) | Nov 4 | Jan 27 | May 2 | 95 from transplant |
| JalapeñoEarly Jalapeño (Capsicum annuum) | Nov 18 | Jan 20 | Apr 5 | 75 from transplant |
| Marconi Red PepperMarconi Red (Capsicum annuum) | Nov 18 | Jan 20 | Apr 10 | 80 from transplant |
| SerranoSerrano Tampiqueño (Capsicum annuum) | Nov 18 | Jan 20 | Apr 10 | 80 from transplant |
| Nantes CarrotScarlet Nantes | Dec 30 | Dec 30 | Mar 10 | 70 from sow |
| TomatilloToma Verde | Dec 2 | Jan 20 | Mar 31 | 70 from transplant |
| Roma TomatoRoma VF (determinate paste) | Dec 2 | Jan 20 | Apr 5 | 75 from transplant |
| San Marzano TomatoSan Marzano (indeterminate paste) | Dec 2 | Jan 20 | Apr 10 | 80 from transplant |
Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost: start that crop indoors on time or cover it in fall.
What sauce can Santa Barbara grow?
Each sauce, scheduled for a Santa Barbara container garden: when the first seeds go in and when enough fruit has ripened for one batch.
Santa Barbara frost questions
When is the last frost in Santa Barbara, CA?
The median last 32 °F freeze at SANTA BARBARA, CA is January 13: half of years see a later one. One year in ten, a freeze still comes after February 24; nine years in ten, it comes after December 12 (prior winter). Source: NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals.
When is the first frost in Santa Barbara, CA?
The median first 32 °F freeze of fall is January 6 (next year). One year in ten it arrives before December 12; nine years in ten, before February 22 (next year).
How long is the growing season in Santa Barbara, CA?
NOAA counts a full 365-day freeze-free season at SANTA BARBARA, CA in a typical year. What limits a sauce garden here is heat: peppers and tomatoes drop flowers in sustained hot nights, so plant to finish before peak summer or after it breaks.
What growing zone is Santa Barbara, CA?
USDA hardiness zone 10b, per the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for ZIP 93109. A zone describes the coldest winter night, not when frost ends, so it is the wrong number for a planting calendar — the frost dates on this page are the right one.
When should I plant tomatoes in Santa Barbara, CA?
Start Roma VF (determinate paste) seeds indoors around Dec 2 and transplant around Jan 20, 1 week after the median last frost. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, wait for Feb 24. First ripe fruit lands around Apr 5.
When should I plant peppers in Santa Barbara, CA?
Sow jalapeño indoors on a heat mat around Nov 18; transplant no earlier than Jan 20, and wait past it until nights hold above 50 °F — that can run weeks later. First green pods around Apr 5.
Nearby in California
- San Buenaventura (Ventura)frost rare
- Oxnardfrost rare
- Camarillolast frost Dec 31
- Lompoclast frost Jan 20
- Thousand Oakslast frost Dec 31
- Santa Marialast frost Feb 4
All California frost dates → · How frost-date math drives a sowing calendar →