When to Plant Green Beans in California

For green beans in California, spring planting starts between Aug 1 (Imperial County) and Jul 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.

Photo: Clusters of long green bean pods hanging from a climbing bean vine. Nirajan_pant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

GearSeed starting gear Raised bed gear Garden tools

Green Beans: dates for your county

County

The calendar splits the state into four regions, and each county takes its region's dates.

Warm-lit rock walls of Afton Canyon in the Mojave Desert

Raised beds and a hoop house at a community garden in Los Angeles County

Young tomato plant and lettuce in raised beds at a community garden in Los Angeles County

Red lettuce growing in a bed at a community garden in Los Angeles County

Published dates for green beans in California

Type	Season	Region	Published dates	Source
Beans, snap	spring	Interior Valleys	April–May	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Beans, snap	spring	North & North Coast	May–June	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Beans, snap	spring	South Coast	March–Aug	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Beans, snap	winter	Desert Valleys	Jan–March	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Beans, snap	summer	Desert Valleys	Aug	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Beans, snap	summer	Interior Valleys	July–Aug	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Beans, snap	summer	North & North Coast	July	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)

Planting dates for green beans by California county

County	Spring	Summer and fall
Alameda	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Alpine	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Amador	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Butte	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Calaveras	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Colusa	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Contra Costa	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Del Norte	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
El Dorado	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Fresno	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Glenn	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Humboldt	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Imperial	Aug 1 to Aug 31; Jan 1 to Mar 31	n/a
Inyo	Aug 1 to Aug 31; Jan 1 to Mar 31	n/a
Kern	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Kings	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Lake	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Lassen	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Los Angeles	Mar 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Madera	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Marin	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Mariposa	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Mendocino	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Merced	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Modoc	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Mono	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Monterey	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Napa	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Nevada	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Orange	Mar 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Placer	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Plumas	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Riverside	Aug 1 to Aug 31; Jan 1 to Mar 31	n/a
Sacramento	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
San Benito	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Bernardino	Aug 1 to Aug 31; Jan 1 to Mar 31	n/a
San Diego	Mar 1 to Aug 31	n/a
San Francisco	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Joaquin	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
San Luis Obispo	Mar 1 to Aug 31	n/a
San Mateo	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Santa Barbara	Mar 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Santa Clara	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Santa Cruz	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Shasta	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Sierra	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Siskiyou	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Solano	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Sonoma	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Stanislaus	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Sutter	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Tehama	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Trinity	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Tulare	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Tuolumne	Jul 1 to Jul 31; May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Ventura	Mar 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Yolo	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a
Yuba	Apr 1 to May 31; Jul 1 to Aug 31	n/a

Other crops in California

Tomatoes
Peppers
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Corn
Lima Beans
Peas
Cucumbers
Squash
Winter Squash
Pumpkins
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Okra
Eggplant
Lettuce
Spinach
Kale
Mustard Greens
Turnips
Swiss Chard
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Kohlrabi
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Asparagus
Rutabagas
Parsley

More planting dates for California

Planting dates for each crop in California, from the UC Master Gardener Program calendar.

Tomatoes

Peppers

Potatoes

Sweet Corn

Cucumbers

Squash

Lettuce

Onions

Planting green beans in California: questions

When do you plant green beans in California?

For green beans in California, spring planting starts between Aug 1 (Imperial County) and Jul 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.

Can I plant green beans in the fall in California?

The UC Master Gardener Program calendar used here lists no fall window for green beans.

Do I need to wait for the last frost to plant green beans?

Frost dates vary by weeks across California; the California frost dates page lists them by county.

Where do these dates for green beans come from?

California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2 Time of planting (UC Master Gardener Program statewide page; table 'Recommended planting dates', source: California Master Gardener Handbook, Table 13.2).

Do I use different dates in my county?

Each county's dates come from its assigned region in the UC Master Gardener table.

Yellow brittlebush in bloom with desert mountains behind in Mojave Trails National Monument

Photos: Clusters of long green bean pods hanging from a climbing bean vine: Nirajan_pant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Yellow brittlebush in bloom with desert mountains behind in Mojave Trails National Monument: blmcalifornia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Warm-lit rock walls of Afton Canyon in the Mojave Desert: blmcalifornia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Raised beds and a hoop house at a community garden in Los Angeles County: USDAgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Young tomato plant and lettuce in raised beds at a community garden in Los Angeles County: USDAgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Red lettuce growing in a bed at a community garden in Los Angeles County: USDAgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Staked tomato plant in a straw-mulched kitchen garden with green and ripening red tomatoes: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Pepper plant in a kitchen garden loaded with green, yellow and red peppers: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Long neat rows of green potato plants stretching across a farm field: Malcolm Neal, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Tall corn plants with golden tassels against a summer sky in a field: inkknife_2000, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Cucumber plants growing in a greenhouse bed: HARTLEPOOLMARINA2014, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Zucchini plant with a yellow flower: net_efekt from Oxford, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Lettuce plants growing in rows: AfroBrazilian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Long rows of green onion plants growing in sandy farm soil: ליזי שאנן, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.