When to Plant Snap beans in San Francisco, CA

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The best time to plant snap beans in San Francisco should be figured out by using the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Snap beans

Frost tolerance for snap beans: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

It's probably a bad idea to plant snap beans until after the last frost because they require warm weather.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant snap beans
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant snap beans
Probably not a good time to plant snap beans

The earliest that you can plant snap beans in San Francisco is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant snap beans and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your snap beans may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your snap beans indoors.

Last Frost Date

In San Francisco the average date of last frost happens on January 31. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 35°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for San Francisco is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in San Francisco you get a frost after January 31 so always be ready to protect your snap beans in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for San Francisco

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)December 15
Lowest Expected Low35°F
Highest Expected Low40°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 40°F.

Plants to Grow in San Francisco

You may be interested in your other planting guides for San Francisco.