When to Plant Onions in California
Plant onions in California in fall, roughly October through December, if you garden anywhere near the latitude of Los Angeles.
Gardening in California
Everything we have worked out for California: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Los Angeles, the last spring freeze falls around no freeze occurs in an average year and the first fall freeze falls around no freeze occurs in an average year, USDA zones 5a-11a, 4,719 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic is the awkward one: only 0 weeks below 40 °F, where it needs six to split into cloves. Chill the cloves before planting, or grow a softneck type.
Elsewhere on the property in California: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
The California Apple Calendar, Stage by Stage
A stage-by-stage look at how California’s apple growers read chill hours, bloom timing and harvest across coastal, valley and mountain regions.
The Best Apple Varieties for California
Why the right apple variety for California depends on whether your yard is a mild coastal pocket or a colder inland valley.
Firewood in California: Which Woods Your Winter Actually Needs
In most of California, firewood is not a survival tool. It’s an amenity, something that makes a mild winter evening better rather than something standing…
California Soil: What You Are Digging Into, and How to Improve It
Dig a foot down almost anywhere in California’s Central Valley and you’re likely standing in San Joaquin soil, the state’s official soil since 1997.
When to Carve a Pumpkin in California
Most of California never needs to think about frost at all: in and around Los Angeles, and across the coastal and southern part of the state, an average…
Growing Onions in California: Which Varieties Actually Bulb
At 33.94 degrees north, the Los Angeles area gets 14 hours and 16 minutes of daylight on the longest day of the year.
Growing Apples in California: Varieties, Timing and Frost Risk
Los Angeles has almost no frost, so California apple growers must match a variety’s winter chill requirement to their region instead of worrying about cold.
Heating a Home in California: What the Winter Actually Costs
California winters don’t demand much from a furnace along the coast, and that single fact reshapes every heating decision that follows, from whether you…
Earwigs in California: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Earwigs turn up across California from early spring through fall, hiding in damp mulch and crevices by day and chewing on tender leaves, flowers and soft…