What To Grow In Your Garden In Feb/March Zone 9b
If you garden in Paso Robles, late winter feels like the quiet before the explosion. Almond trees bloom, the mornings are crisp, and Zone 9b gardeners start getting that itch. February and March are some of the most important months in our growing season — especially if you want strong summer crops.
With our mild winters, hot dry summers, and occasional surprise frost, timing is everything. I use organic heirloom seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Botanical Interests, and I start many of my warm-season crops in a small indoor greenhouse so they’re sturdy and ready when the soil warms up.
Here’s exactly what I’m starting indoors and outdoors in February and March here in Paso.
🌱 Understanding Our Zone
Paso Robles sits in USDA Zone 9b. That means:
Average last frost: Late February to mid-March (but microclimates matter!)
Hot, dry summers
Cool nights even in spring
Excellent long growing season once warmth arrives
Because of that, I divide my seed starting into two categories:
Indoor greenhouse starts
Direct sow outdoors
🌿 Seeds to Start Indoors (February–Early March)
These crops need a head start — especially tomatoes and peppers, which love heat and take time to mature.
🍅 Tomatoes
Start 6–8 weeks before your last frost.
Heirloom favorites do beautifully here because our dry summers reduce disease pressure. Starting indoors ensures:
Thick stems
Deep root systems
Earlier harvests (critical before peak July heat)
Transplant when nights stay consistently above 45–50°F.
🌶 Peppers (Sweet & Hot)
Peppers need warmth and patience. Start them now under:
Bright grow lights
Heat mats if possible (they germinate best warm)
They grow slowly at first but catch up once transplanted into warm soil.
🍆 Eggplant
Another heat-lover that benefits from an early start. Similar care to peppers.
🥒 Early Cucumbers & Squash (Optional)
You can start these indoors in late March if you want an early jump — just don’t start them too early because they dislike root disturbance.
🌸 Flowers to Start Indoors
Zinnias (late March)
Cosmos
Marigolds
Snapdragons (can start earlier)
Strawflowers
Starting flowers indoors ensures you have pollinator support ready when summer vegetables begin blooming.
🥬 What to Direct Sow Outdoors (February–March)
Our soil in Paso is workable in late winter unless we’ve had heavy rain, which we have. These crops thrive in cool conditions:
🥕 Root Crops
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Turnips
Direct sow only — they don’t transplant well.
🥬 Greens
Lettuce
Spinach
Arugula
Swiss chard
Kale
These love cool weather and may bolt once true heat hits.
🧄 Alliums
Green onions
Shallots
🌱 Peas
Sugar snap and shelling peas do beautifully right now before temperatures spike.
🌼 Cool-Season Flowers
Calendula
Larkspur
Nigella
Poppies
These can be directly sown and often perform better that way.
🌞 Why I Use an Indoor Greenhouse Setup
Even in Zone 9b, February nights dip cold. My small indoor greenhouse setup allows me to:
Control temperature
Avoid wind stress
Prevent slug/snail damage
Grow thick, healthy starts
Transplant strong plants instead of tiny seedlings
By the time April rolls around, my tomatoes and peppers are sturdy, hardened off, and ready for our long dry summer.
🌡 Timing Tips for Paso Robles Gardeners
Watch nighttime lows more than daytime highs.
Don’t rush tomatoes into cold soil — they stall.
Harden off seedlings slowly over 7–10 days.
Mulch early to conserve moisture once heat begins.
Because Paso summers heat up quickly, getting plants established early (but not too early) makes a huge difference in production.
🌿 My February/March Garden Rhythm
Inside:
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Early flowers
Outside:
Root crops
Greens
Peas
Cool-season flowers
By April, everything shifts toward warm-season planting — but what you do right now sets the tone for the entire year.
There’s something special about starting seeds in late winter. Tiny green life pushing up while mornings are still chilly feels like hope in motion.
If you're gardening in Paso, this is your season to begin. 🌱