It depends on what you are planting. Peas, lettuce and broccoli do well now. I plant my tomatoes in March.

Here is a link that might be useful: San Diego Calendar

Soapy, for planting guidance in Southern Cal, your Sunset zone will be more helpful to know than the USDA zone. Much of So. Cal is zone 9, but so is much of England, and there couldn't be more different climates!

The inland hilltops and valley floors which do not receive ocean breezes/moisture are classified as Sunset zone 18. Our first and last frost dates at the end of November and end of March, but we have cooler nights until May.

I will start getting my containers ready at the end of February to allow the soil to warm up and begin planting around the first of March. The first round of tomatoes will be those capable of setting fruit at lower temperatures, but I will still protect them when nighttime temperatures dip below 40F.

Hope this is somewhat helpful for you,
Jan

Soap,

I'd post this on the California Board and get some opinions over there. I'm north of you on the coast in a slightly cooler climate, and I typically plant late March or early April. With the mildness of your climate, you can pretty much plant anytime, but your plants won't grow much until it really warms up (esp. at night). I had couple of volunteers come up in early June and within 6 weeks they had caught up with the plants that I planted in March! I also have a confused little volunteer that came up early last month and while quite small after about 4 weeks, it is still alive. FWIW, 2 feet seems very tall for a transplant.

Thanks for all the advice! I think I'll try and get them in the ground at the beginning of april.

As slo_garden says, we Zone Niners can pretty much plant at any tme now -- if we are willing to provide a little nighttime climate modification assistance in the form of teepee covers, cardboard boxes, Rubbermaid tubs, etc.

Small container-grown "cool tolerant earlies" like Sophie's Choice, Mountain Princess, Silvery Fir Tree could even be brought inside if we had an extreme cold snap.

Jan

I am sprouting seeds now, but I have a few plants on the ground that have green tomatoes still going and have not died. Mostly cherry types and the one called siberian. I also have several volunteers sprouting around. Planting time for tomatoes in SoCal is really any time, I have transplanted seedlings for late varieties as late as August. My new seedlings will go in the ground in March though, just to be on the safe side.

I too am starting my seeds now. -The spring/summer is so cool here on the coast, that I've found I need to start in early January to get ripe tomatoes in August-September.

I have one Roma tomato in a container that lived over and is blooming now (?), despite the artic cold-front we had last month. With this week's warm spell, it has started putting on new, basal growth as well, so I think it really might stick around for another season.

I also have a mystery volunteer in one of my flower beds that is about 6 inches tall.

Cabrita, is your Siberian the short or the tall type?

Are you growing 'Cabrita's Creole' and 'Cabrita's Campari' again? I started a few of each last week, but I forgot what you said about them. Will they both need staking, and do you mind to tell me again whether they are early or mid season tomatoes?

Susan, those little container romas are surprisingly hardy plants. I planted a seed from some a commercial salad tomato and it was almost the first and last to set fruit in spite of the fact that it was the most neglected of my plants.

BTW, I see at least 5 Sunset Zones represented among us So. Cal gardeners. Even though we are all Zone Niners, we have subtle differences in our growing conditions....I need heat tolerant tomatoes, you need cool tolerant, Cabrita needs Harlequin-bug proof...

I hope you got rid of them, at last, C.

Jan

Hi Jan,

My little Roma started out life in hard-scrabble fashion. Last February, my twin nephews found it as a volunteer, growing next to a bbq grill in the park. I had been sick, and they know I love tomatoes, so they dug it up and brought it to me. Of course, I grew it out, and it turned out to be a nice compact Roma, with pretty, pretty fruit; Not great for fresh eating, but it was productive and great for sauce. Because it is so cold-hardy, I am experimenting with growing out a next generation of it this year.

I guess I can't read too well. Now I see we are talking about tomato seedlings:)

I like to plant seedlings starting in early March and then continue planting through April. I will be planting about 300 plants this year and it takes me awhile. I consider optimum time to be mid to late March.

It's hard to predict the weather. An early planting may yield early if you get lucky with the temperatures.

Zeuspaul

That's such a sweet story, Susan. You ought to keep the strain going until the boys are old enough to have their own gardens and pass it along to them as their own family heirloom.

ZeusPaul, 300 plants? Wow! All for you? How many different varieties are you growing?

I like trying for the earliest possible planting, but hedge my bets by having backup seedlings availbable. If I don't need them when the normal planting time comes, I'm sure I can find people who want them. There was a post today in the vegetable gardening forum from an east coast gardener whose been told that growers are seeing an exceptionally high demand for veggie seedlings of all kinds this year.

Jan

306, I enjoy making tomato sauce. Lots for me and sauce to give away. Also lots of eating tomatoes for me and the neighbors. And I sell a few.

I only want to make sauce a few times so I need a lot of tomatoes all at once. The more tomatoes the better chance I will have them when I want them.

I am trying to cut back on varieties and grow more winners. This year I will repeat Sioux, Supersonic, San Diego, First Lady, Sungold, Sunsugar, Tommy Toe, Sugar Sweetie, Black Cherry, Maremmano and try Goose Creek, Goliath, Jet Star, Scotia, Druzba and probably a few more that have slipped my mind...maybe Celebrity.

I started some seeds earlier this year. I start in 2 inch? rose pots in mid December. If they get big enough before planting time I'll put some in gallon pots hoping for a good solid start.

Zeuspaul

Soapy,

Here in central Valley zone 9, I start my seedlings the week of Valentine's day and plant out last week of March or first week of April. Any earlier in March and you need to keep an eye on the weather for sneaky frost.

Elaine