When to Plant Radishes in Santa Barbara, CA

One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Santa Barbara you should be able to estimate when to plant radishes.


Planting Calendar for Radishes

Frost tolerance for radishes: Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant: Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Radishes do well in cold which tells us that you can get them planted much earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

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

The earliest that you can plant radishes in Santa Barbara is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant radishes and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your radishes may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your radishes indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Santa Barbara the average date of last frost happens on January 31. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 30°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Santa Barbara is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Santa Barbara you get surprised by a frost after January 31 be ready to cover your radishes if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Barbara

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)December 15
Lowest Expected Low30°F
Highest Expected Low35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 35°F.

Plants to Grow in Santa Barbara

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Santa Barbara.