Interior is the conservative default; North County uses April 7 and November 7, while Coast/SLO uses February 15 and December 31.
Regional guide
San Luis Obispo County Cool-Season Vegetable Guide
UC SLO County guide for three cool-season bands, frost dates, heat and frost cautions, soil-temperature controls, and crop examples.
Regional timing
Current regional planting plan
UC SLO County guide for three cool-season bands, frost dates, heat and frost cautions, soil-temperature controls, and crop examples.
Source-backed timing
UC Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County Cool Season Vegetable Guide
SLO Cool Season
170 frost-free days
Apr 20 last frost
spring release
Oct 7 first frost
fall limit
- The UC Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County page is titled Cool Season Vegetable Guide for SLO County.
- The guide was adapted from the UC Master Gardener Handbook (12/2005) and created by Johannah Varland, UC Master Gardener.
- The county guide separates cool-season planting into Coastal & SLO, North County, and Interior bands.
- Catalog priority
- 24 priority crops 24 catalog examples
- Climate checks
- 6 climate signals 8 planning notes
- Timing basis
- Using SLO Cool Season dates Apr 20 to Oct 7
Green Globe Artichoke, Detroit Dark Red Beet, Danvers 126 Carrot, American Flag Leek
Extend seasons by protecting from frost or summer sun and by using soil temperature controls such as mulch and wind protection.
Calendar
Convert regional timing into dated sowing, transplant, and harvest jobs.
Frost dates
Keep hardiness zone context separate from local first and last frost dates.
All regions
Compare this guide with the broader regional atlas.
Ventura County
UC ANR Ventura County guide for warm/cool-season vegetable planting dates, repeat rows, transplant rows, bed spacing, and crop examples.
Climate signals
- The UC Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County page is titled Cool Season Vegetable Guide for SLO County.
- The guide was adapted from the UC Master Gardener Handbook (12/2005) and created by Johannah Varland, UC Master Gardener.
- The county guide separates cool-season planting into Coastal & SLO, North County, and Interior bands.
- The circular guide highlights best months by location and indicates when it may be too hot or too cold to plant seeds outdoors.
- Most mature cool season veggies are frost tolerant, but hot temperatures can cause lettuce, spinach, chard, the cabbage family, and other leafy vegetables to bolt.
- Cool-season vegetables grow best in average temperatures of 55 to 75 degrees and have shallow to medium root systems well adapted to small gardens or container gardens.
Planning notes
- Plant cool season veggies during the shaded area according to your location, then use the frost dates and average days to maturity for each vegetable to determine planting and harvest dates.
- Extend seasons by protecting from frost or summer sun and by using soil temperature controls such as mulch and wind protection.
- The guide calls out seed-packet days to germinate and days to maturity, frost protection, sun protection, soil temperature controls, and sowing cover crops.
- Interior frost dates are first frost Oct. 7 and last frost April 20; North County frost dates are first frost Nov. 7 and last frost April 7; Coast/SLO frost dates are first frost Dec. 31 and last frost Feb 15.
- ROOT crop examples include beet, carrot, leek, parsnip, radish, rutabaga, and turnip; STEM examples include kohlrabi; IMMATURE FLOWERS examples include broccoli and cauliflower.
- LEAVES examples include bok choy, brussel sprouts, cabbage, celery, chard, cilantro, chives, collards, endive, lettuce, mustard greens, parsley, and spinach.
- Asparagus, garlic, potato, rhubarb, shallots, fava beans, snow peas, watercress, onions, and Chinese cabbage are source rows without priority links.
- Use priority catalog links as crop-row examples, not UC cultivar recommendations.
Catalog crop examples
These catalog entries match crops covered by the regional timing source; variety-specific details remain tied to each seed entry's own source.
- Green Globe Artichoke Vegetable · Warm · 120 days
- Detroit Dark Red Beet Vegetable · Cool · 58 days
- Danvers 126 Carrot Vegetable · Shoulder · 70 days
- American Flag Leek Vegetable · Cool · 120 days
- Hollow Crown Parsnip Vegetable · Cool · 120 days
- French Breakfast Radish Vegetable · Cool · 28 days
- American Purple Top Rutabaga Vegetable · Cool · 90 days
- Purple Top White Globe Turnip Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
- Early White Vienna Kohlrabi Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
- Waltham 29 Broccoli Vegetable · Cool · 74 days
- Snowball Y Cauliflower Vegetable · Cool · 70 days
- White Stem Bok Choy Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
- Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts Vegetable · Cool · 100 days
- Golden Acre Cabbage Vegetable · Cool · 64 days
- Tall Utah Celery Vegetable · Cool · 110 days
- Bright Lights Swiss Chard Vegetable · Shoulder · 55 days
- Santo Cilantro Herb · Cool · 50 days
- Common Chives Herb · Cool · 80 days
- Georgia Southern Collards Vegetable · Cool · 65 days
- Green Curled Endive Vegetable · Cool · 85 days
- Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
- Southern Giant Curled Mustard Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
- Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Herb · Shoulder · 75 days
- Bloomsdale Spinach Vegetable · Cool · 42 days
Related regional guides
- Ventura County Vegetable Planting Guide UC ANR Ventura County guide for warm/cool-season vegetable planting dates, repeat rows, transplant rows, bed spacing, and crop examples.
- Orange County Small-Space Vegetable Garden UC Master Gardeners Orange County small-space guide for containers, sunlight, compacted urban yards, supports, and three-season turnover.
- San Diego County Vegetable Planting Guide UC ANR San Diego County guide for coastal and inland vegetable planting windows across warm/cool seasons and crop-row examples.
Source: UC Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County Cool Season Vegetable Guide