Yes — Strong Match
vegetable amaranth is grown in zones 2-11, which covers every zone California contains (4b-11a). Whether the season is long enough is the question that remains.
Vegetable Amaranth in California — the short answer
Vegetable Amaranth in California: grown in zones 2–11, full sun, against a state median of ~317 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- Grown as an annual — see the growing season
- Growing season, not a hardiness zone
- California zones
- 4b-11a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Jan 19 - Mar 19 – Nov 29 - Dec 12
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 108 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 50 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Vegetable Amaranth is grown as an annual, so your winter zone isn't the deciding factor — your frost-free window is. A typical California site runs ~317 frost-free days, but that is a state median, not your yard: slope, trees, and low spots move the last-frost date across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score vegetable amaranth against your land's actual frost dates, sun, and soil.
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California is not one climate
A single California answer averages 57 counties whose growing seasons are 257 days apart — from 108 frost-free days in Mono County to 365 in Ventura County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what vegetable amaranth can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 57 counties runs 278–331 days, with a median of 317 days — a 257-day span end to end.
Measured across 57 California counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in California Fits Best
Even within California's zones 4b-11a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for vegetable amaranth (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Vegetable Amaranth Needs
- USDA Zones: 2-11
- Frost-Free Days: 30+
- Sun: Full SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Picking window: ~60 days of harvestWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
California Has
- USDA Zones: 4b-11a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Jan 19 - Mar 19
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 29 - Dec 12
- Annual Rainfall: 5-80 inches
- Common Soils: Alluvial clay, Sandy loam, Adobe clay
Plant Zone Range (zones 2-11)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Vegetable Amaranth in California
The frost window
Across California, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 19 and Mar 19, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 29 and Dec 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 255-day window you can count on — up to 327 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Frost tenderness
Vegetable Amaranth is frost-tender — FAO ECOCROP puts its killing temperature at 32°F — so set plants out two to three weeks PAST your local last hard freeze, not on it and not on the state's earliest date. The 28°F marker above is when killing freezes stop, not when light frost does. That is the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor — an established perennial comes through far colder while dormant, which is what its hardiness zone tells you.
When to start the seed
Those dates are when vegetable amaranth goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 4 weeks ahead, so counting back from California's late-side last freeze of Mar 19 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
Days to maturity vs. the window
At 50 days to maturity (Growable Ground Plant Database), counting from the last hard freeze it ripens with 205 days to spare even in California's tightest freeze scenario — room for a later start or a second sowing.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
Vegetable Amaranth is grown in zones 2–11, which covers every zone California contains (4b-11a). It is grown as a summer crop, so season length decides it here. California's typical season runs ~317 frost-free days against the ~30 vegetable amaranth needs.
Frost-free days
Vegetable Amaranth wants 30+ frost-free days; a typical California site sees ~317 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Vegetable Amaranth needs ~1500 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~4290 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so California's typical season clears that easily.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Vegetable Amaranth tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.3-8.5) — 4.2 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in California. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 7.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a California soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your California site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. Drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. California soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant vegetable amaranth for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before vegetable amaranth goes in. What follows is California’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across California — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across California — 31,304 documented sites across 7 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 1073 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
California carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds of imported, lab-tested soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across California
Severity Distribution
across California
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around California, two things run higher than the national average across California — Mining (8,329 sites) and Toxics Release Inventory (5,595 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.
Mining: Mining sites — both historic and active — can leach heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury) into soil and water for centuries after operations cease.
Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.
Test soil for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) — this is essential near any mining site.
Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Vegetable Amaranth in California
The zone range tells you where vegetable amaranth is grown — but California growers also need to think about:
Drought is a persistent challenge — irrigation is essential in most regions
Wildfire risk affects rural and foothill properties
Adobe clay soils in valleys drain poorly without amendment
Wide climate variation means plant selection is highly location-specific
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every California grower, not just vegetable amaranth — is covered on the California growing guide.
Timing shifts within California
Vegetable Amaranth needs about 30 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Mono County — California’s shortest season at 108 frost-free days — clears that by 78 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in California. What varies is your own parcel.
Across California’s 57 counties the frost-free season runs from 108 days in Mono County to 365 days in Ventura County — a spread of 257 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median California county sees 317 frost-free days, leaving vegetable amaranth about 287 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Vegetable Amaranth's 30-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
California Cooperative Extension
For California-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for vegetable amaranth, the canonical source is UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Vegetable Amaranth in California
When can I plant Vegetable Amaranth in California?
California's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 19 and Mar 19, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 29 and Dec 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Vegetable Amaranth is frost-tender — its killing temperature is 32°F (FAO ECOCROP — the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor) — so wait two to three weeks past your site's last hard freeze, when light frost has also stopped, before planting out.
Can Vegetable Amaranth mature before first frost in California?
Yes — Vegetable Amaranth matures in 50 days (Growable Ground Plant Database), and California's dependable hard-freeze-free window runs 255 days (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020), leaving 205 days of margin. Plant once the last hard freeze has passed — two to three weeks later for anything tender — and it ripens ahead of the first fall freeze.
What hardiness zone is Vegetable Amaranth grown in across California?
California spans USDA hardiness zones 4b-11a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Vegetable Amaranth carries a range of zones 2-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical California site have?
A typical California site sees ~317 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Vegetable Amaranth needs 30+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
How should I amend the soil for Vegetable Amaranth in California?
Vegetable Amaranth tolerates pH 4.3-8.5 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That is a 4.2-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a California site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Vegetable Amaranth actually grow on my specific land in California?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores vegetable amaranth against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in California
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores vegetable amaranth against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that California vegetable amaranth averages can't show:
We read public map data around California — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the California vegetable amaranth average
Explore More
Growing guides for vegetable amaranth
Explore California county by county
California carries 58 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for vegetable amaranth there:
Where else vegetable amaranth grows
Vegetable Amaranth's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to California in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in California
California has a growing page for 1,041 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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