Kale in Zone 10a & 10b
Brassica oleracea
When to plant kale in zone 10b
Zones 10a and 10b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.
Method: Start indoors: Start indoors from seed, then transplant outside. In your zone, Kale needs a head start on the heat that direct-sowing elsewhere doesn't require.
| Window | Fall window |
|---|---|
| Start indoors | Aug–Dec |
| Direct sow / transplant outside | Sep–Jan |
| Estimated harvest | Oct 31–Apr 1 '27 (~60 days after transplanting) |
Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1-2 ft.
Zone 10b dates sourced from growinginthegarden.com.
Kale is about as low-maintenance as vegetables get, and one of the few that improves with cold, a hard frost sweetens the leaves rather than ruining them. It can be started indoors or direct-seeded, and either way it tends to outlast most other greens into late fall.
How kale fits zone 10's season
Zone 10b's frost-free window runs about 324 days, from January 30 to December 20. Kale needs about 60 days from sowing to first harvest.
Good companions
- Onion: Onion scent is reputed to confuse cabbage moths that target kale. The research behind this is real but garlic-specific (field trials intercropping garlic with cabbage reduced diamondback moth damage) — onion hasn't been tested the same way, so treat the onion version as a reasonable extrapolation, not a directly measured result.
Where to buy kale seeds
See why we recommend these suppliers →
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See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing kale" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
← Back to the full zone 10b calendar · Full companion planting guide · Full plant profile · Plan your beds in the Garden Designer →
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Growing Kale in USDA zone 10b: when to start seeds indoors, when to direct-sow, and when to expect a harvest.
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