What Grows in Fields Landing, California

USDA Zones 9b · 177 acres

Fields Landing, California, sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

Crops well matched to these conditions include okra, meyer lemon, california poppy, and artichoke — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Fields Landing, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Fields Landing lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Fields Landing — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Fields Landing — the short answer

Fields Landing, California: USDA zone 9b, about 278 days between hard freezes, across 177 acres of town.

USDA zone
9b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 1
Humboldt County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 4
Humboldt County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~278
Humboldt County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
177 acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are Humboldt County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

9b9b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 9b is Fields Landing's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Fields Landing's 278-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Fields Landing

Each reading below is measured for Fields Landing itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

From county records

Fields Landing runs about 278 days between hard freezes (read from Humboldt County, the closest normal to Fields Landing) — close to year-round growing.

Frost is rarely the limit here; winter plantings are as real as summer ones, and the harder question is which crops shrug off the summer heat.

Grow cool-season crops through the mild winter, and choose heat-tolerant varieties for the summer beds.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Fields Landing sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Fields Landing is in

Fields Landing sits in the Coast Range — EPA Level III, inside the wider Marine West Coast Forest. That is read at Fields Landing's own centroid rather than borrowed from Humboldt County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Fields Landing

Every plant below cleared Fields Landing's own zone 9b and its 278-day season. Each card opens that plant's California profile. How we score.

okra, photograph
Growing okra in CaliforniaZones 2–12Fields Landing's 278 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Meyer lemon, photograph
California meyer lemon guideZones 9–11Fields Landing's 9b is its exact cold limit.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in CaliforniaZones 6–10Fields Landing's 9b — 3 zones of cold margin.
artichoke, photograph
Artichoke: California growing notesZones 7–11Fields Landing's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Growing avocado in CaliforniaZones 9–11Fields Landing's 9b is its exact cold limit.
rosemary, photograph
California rosemary guideZones 8–10Fields Landing's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage in CaliforniaZones 2–11Fields Landing's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
banana, photograph
Banana: California growing notesZones 9–11Fields Landing's 9b is its exact cold limit.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in CaliforniaFields Landing's 278 days clear the ~90 it needs.
collard greens, photograph
California collard greens guideZones 2–11Fields Landing's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Kale in CaliforniaZones 2–11Fields Landing's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: California growing notesZones 2–11Fields Landing's 278 days clear the ~70 it needs.
potato, photograph
Growing potato in CaliforniaZones 2–11Fields Landing's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
California pumpkin guideZones 3–11Fields Landing's 278 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in CaliforniaZones 2–11Fields Landing's 278 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: California growing notesZones 3–10Fields Landing's 9b — 6 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in CaliforniaZones 2–11Fields Landing's 278 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
California apache plume guideZones 5–11Fields Landing's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in CaliforniaZones 7–11Fields Landing's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
agave, photograph
Agave: California growing notesZones 8–11Fields Landing's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in CaliforniaFields Landing's 278 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
California holly guideZones 5–11Fields Landing's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in CaliforniaZones 7–10Fields Landing's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: California growing notesZones 5–11Fields Landing's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
palo verde, photograph
Growing palo verde in CaliforniaZones 8–11Fields Landing's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
jungle rice, photograph
California jungle rice guideZones 7–13Fields Landing's 278 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in CaliforniaZones 5–11Fields Landing's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: California growing notesZones 5–11Fields Landing's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
lablab, photograph
Growing lablab in CaliforniaZones 7–13Fields Landing's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
liriope, photograph
California liriope guideZones 5–11Fields Landing's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Fields Landing?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 1; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 1 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 4 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. With almost year-round growing weather, timing is about heat and rainfall more than frost — some bench is always in play.

What's on the federal record near Fields Landing

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Fields Landing. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. PATRICK MURPHY LOGGINGBrownfields · 450 ft
  2. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY INCToxics Release Inventory · 550 ft
  3. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY INCBrownfields · 550 ft
  4. HUMBOLDT BAY HARBOR RECREATION & CONSERVBrownfields · 700 ft
  5. COUNTY OF HUMBOLDTBrownfields · 900 ft
  6. RAO CONSTRUCTION CO INCBrownfields · 1100 ft
  7. HUMBOLDT C.S.D.PFAS · 1100 ft
  8. SOUTH BAY UNION SCHOOL DISTRICTBrownfields · 0.9 mi
  9. PGE HUMBOLDT BAY GENERATING STATIONToxics Release Inventory · 0.9 mi
  10. PARKER & SON INCBrownfields · 1.0 mi
  11. PG&E HUMBOLDT BAY POWER PLANTToxics Release Inventory · 1.1 mi
  12. PG&E HUMBOLDT BAY POWER PLANTBrownfields · 1.1 mi

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Fields Landing's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Fields Landing.

Total Sites

442

within ~10 miles of Fields Landing

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

6 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Fields Landing

High1Moderate76Low365

Highest-Severity Sites

Humboldt C.S.D.
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
002n002w01e001h
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
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Nitrate Monitoring · Well
003n001w17l001h
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
003n001w17l001h
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Fields Landing, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Fields Landing — CAFO (8 sites) and Brownfields (356 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

CAFO: CAFOs pose a different contamination profile than chemical sources.

Brownfields: Brownfield sites are former commercial or industrial properties where legacy soil contamination (heavy metals, PAHs, petroleum compounds) may persist.

Wash all produce consumed raw thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near CAFOs.

Check EPA brownfield remediation status — many sites have completed cleanup with institutional controls.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Fields Landing

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Fields Landing average

Your land is one point inside Fields Landing

Everything above resolves to Fields Landing as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 177 acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Humboldt County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at town scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Fields Landing Average

Fields Landing Average

  • USDA Zones 9b, averaged across Fields Landing
  • One soil character for all of Fields Landing
  • Frost dates read at Fields Landing's scale: Mar 1 to Dec 4

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Fields Landing's 9b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Fields Landing

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Fields Landing, California — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Fields Landing averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Fields Landing averages 278Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Fields Landing — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Fields Landing average

How we know this about Fields Landing

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Humboldt County’s record, because none resolves here; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Fields Landing

When does frost risk typically end in Fields Landing?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Fields Landing typically lands around Mar 1, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about Mar 22.

When is the first frost in Fields Landing?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Fields Landing typically arrives around Dec 4, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 20, so the watching starts about Nov 4 — about 278 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Fields Landing?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Fields Landing sees about 278 frost-free days — roughly Mar 1 through Dec 4, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 22 to Nov 20, about 243 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Fields Landing?

The federal record around Fields Landing is a meaningful one — 442 documented sites, mostly Brownfields entries (356), the nearest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Fields Landing?

From about Nov 4 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Dec 4 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Dec 4. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Fields Landing's scale — its 9b band and its 278-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Fields Landing's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Fields Landing’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Fields Landing's own scale — the 177 acres it covers and 442 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Fields Landing's own USDA hardiness band, zones 9bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 442 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Fields Landing, the closest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Fields Landing's boundary and the 177 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 9b and a ~278-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Fields Landing's own centroid, the Coast RangeUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Fields Landing has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Humboldt County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Fields Landing's 177 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Humboldt County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Humboldt County
  • The growing challenges every California grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom California
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Humboldt County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Fields Landing's 177 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Fields Landing you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 177 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Fields Landing-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address