Lemongrass in Zone 9a & 9b
Cymbopogon flexuosus
When to plant lemongrass in zone 9b
Zones 9a and 9b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.
Method: Buy as a start: Buy as a nursery start and transplant outside. Lemongrass is slow or unreliable from seed, so most gardeners skip seed-starting it entirely.
| Start indoors | Not started from seed; buy as a nursery start |
|---|---|
| Direct sow / transplant outside | Feb 22–Mar 1 |
| Estimated harvest | Jun 2–Jun 9 (~100 days after transplanting) |
Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1.5-4 ft.
Lemongrass is a tender, clumping tropical grass grown for its intensely lemon-scented stalks, familiar from Thai and Vietnamese cooking. It's hardy only in zones 9-11, which means most gardeners grow it as a container plant, moved indoors before the first frost rather than left in the ground.
How lemongrass fits zone 9's season
Zone 9b's frost-free window runs about 293 days, from February 15 to December 5. Lemongrass needs about 100 days from transplant to first harvest.
Good companions
No standout companions recorded yet for Lemongrass.
Where to buy lemongrass starts
Lemongrass is almost always bought as a nursery start rather than seeded. Check a local nursery or garden center; we haven't vetted online start/plant suppliers yet.
See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing lemongrass" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Lemongrass in USDA zone 9b: when to start seeds indoors, when to direct-sow, and when to expect a harvest.
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