The first tender carrots and radishes in spring, a perfectly ripe tomato in summer - nothing quite matches the bounty from our own gardens. Our mild Bay Area climate allows for successful year-round crops. This section explains what you’ll need to know to get started and to become growing experts.
UC Master Gardener Carol O’Donnell charted the best crops for specific conditions in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties.
Planting calendars
1/3/2026: Our planting calendars are being updated. The new planting calendars will be posted as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.
Know your microclimate
Year-round sequence chart
Additional vegetable growing resources
- The California Garden Web: Vegetables
- Growing Food in Raised Beds
- Tomato Planting Tips
- Tomato Pruning
- Growing Container Tomatoes in San Francisco (PDF)
- Landscaping with Herbs
- Growing Microgreens
Page banner photo courtesy of Ann Gahagen