What Grows in Las Lomas, California

USDA Zones 9b · 664 acres

Las Lomas, California, sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.

Reliable performers under these conditions include okra, meyer lemon, california poppy, and artichoke; what your own ground favors still comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Las Lomas, 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 Las Lomas 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 Las Lomas — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Las Lomas — the short answer

Las Lomas, California: USDA zone 9b, about 317 days between hard freezes, across 664 acres of town.

USDA zone
9b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Jan 27
Monterey County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 10
Monterey County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~317
Monterey County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
664 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 Monterey 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 Las Lomas's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Las Lomas's 317-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Las Lomas

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

Season length

From county records

Las Lomas runs about 317 days between hard freezes (read from Monterey County, the closest normal to Las Lomas) — 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

Las Lomas 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 Las Lomas is in

Las Lomas sits in the Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Mediterranean California. That is read at Las Lomas's own centroid rather than borrowed from Monterey County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Las Lomas

Every plant below cleared Las Lomas's own zone 9b and its 317-day season. Each card opens that plant's California profile. How we score.

okra, photograph
Growing okra in CaliforniaZones 2–12Las Lomas's 317 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Meyer lemon, photograph
California meyer lemon guideZones 9–11Las Lomas's 9b is its exact cold limit.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in CaliforniaZones 6–10Las Lomas's 9b — 3 zones of cold margin.
artichoke, photograph
Artichoke: California growing notesZones 7–11Las Lomas's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Growing avocado in CaliforniaZones 9–11Las Lomas's 9b is its exact cold limit.
rosemary, photograph
California rosemary guideZones 8–10Las Lomas's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage in CaliforniaZones 2–11Las Lomas's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
banana, photograph
Banana: California growing notesZones 9–11Las Lomas's 9b is its exact cold limit.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in CaliforniaLas Lomas's 317 days clear the ~90 it needs.
collard greens, photograph
California collard greens guideZones 2–11Las Lomas's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Kale in CaliforniaZones 2–11Las Lomas's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: California growing notesZones 2–11Las Lomas's 317 days clear the ~70 it needs.
potato, photograph
Growing potato in CaliforniaZones 2–11Las Lomas's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
California pumpkin guideZones 3–11Las Lomas's 317 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in CaliforniaZones 2–11Las Lomas's 317 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: California growing notesZones 3–10Las Lomas's 9b — 6 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in CaliforniaZones 2–11Las Lomas's 317 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
California apache plume guideZones 5–11Las Lomas's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in CaliforniaZones 7–11Las Lomas's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
agave, photograph
Agave: California growing notesZones 8–11Las Lomas's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in CaliforniaLas Lomas's 317 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
California holly guideZones 5–11Las Lomas's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in CaliforniaZones 7–10Las Lomas's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: California growing notesZones 5–11Las Lomas's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
palo verde, photograph
Growing palo verde in CaliforniaZones 8–11Las Lomas's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
jungle rice, photograph
California jungle rice guideZones 7–13Las Lomas's 317 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in CaliforniaZones 5–11Las Lomas's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: California growing notesZones 5–11Las Lomas's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
lablab, photograph
Growing lablab in CaliforniaZones 7–13Las Lomas's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
liriope, photograph
California liriope guideZones 5–11Las Lomas's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Las Lomas?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 1; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Jan 27 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 10 — 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 Las Lomas

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

  1. CALIFORNIA WATER SERVICE COMPANY-SLN 305Brownfields · 0.5 mi
  2. 012S002E14Q001MNitrate · 1.3 mi
  3. 012S002E28G001MNitrate · 1.3 mi
  4. COAST GAS SERVICEBrownfields · 1.3 mi
  5. PAJARO VALLEY GOLF CLUBBrownfields · 1.5 mi
  6. MISSION RANCHES CO LLC - HAYESBrownfields · 1.5 mi
  7. FAUROT RANCHBrownfields · 1.6 mi
  8. HILLTOP MINI MARTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi
  9. HILDEBRAND & SON TRUCKING INCBrownfields · 1.9 mi
  10. FARMHOUSE CULTUREBrownfields · 1.9 mi
  11. UNION PACIFIC RAILROADBrownfields · 1.9 mi
  12. C&N TRACTORBrownfields · 2.0 mi

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

Measured from Las Lomas'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 Las Lomas.

Total Sites

714

within ~10 miles of Las Lomas

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

4 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Las Lomas

High5Moderate175Low534

Highest-Severity Sites

Castroville Community Services District
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Crazy Horse Sanitary Landfill
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Cwsc Oak Hills
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
012s002e14q001m
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
012s002e14q001m
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Las Lomas, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Las Lomas — Brownfields (532 sites) and PFAS (6 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

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

PFAS: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called "forever chemicals" because they do not biodegrade.

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

Test irrigation water source — this is the primary pathway for PFAS to reach garden crops.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Las Lomas

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 Las Lomas average

Your land is one point inside Las Lomas

Everything above resolves to Las Lomas as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 664 acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Monterey 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 Las Lomas Average

Las Lomas Average

  • USDA Zones 9b, averaged across Las Lomas
  • One soil character for all of Las Lomas
  • Frost dates read at Las Lomas's scale: Jan 27 to Dec 10

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Las Lomas

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

Three things about your lot that Las Lomas averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Las Lomas averages 317Your sun & shade

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

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Las Lomas average

How we know this about Las Lomas

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 Monterey 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 Las Lomas

When does frost risk typically end in Las Lomas?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Las Lomas typically lands around Jan 27, 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 Feb 17.

When is the first frost in Las Lomas?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Las Lomas typically arrives around Dec 10, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 26, so the watching starts about Nov 10 — about 317 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Las Lomas?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Las Lomas sees about 317 frost-free days — roughly Jan 27 through Dec 10, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Feb 17 to Nov 26, about 282 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Las Lomas?

The federal record around Las Lomas is a meaningful one — 714 documented sites, mostly Brownfields entries (532), the nearest Brownfields record about 0.5 miles 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 Las Lomas?

From about Nov 10 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 10 (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 10. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Las Lomas's scale — its 9b band and its 317-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Las Lomas'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 Las Lomas’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Las Lomas's own scale — the 664 acres it covers and 714 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Las Lomas's own USDA hardiness band, zones 9bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 714 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Las Lomas, the closest Brownfields record about 0.5 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Las Lomas's boundary and the 664 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 9b and a ~317-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Las Lomas's own centroid, the Central California Foothills and Coastal MountainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Las Lomas has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Monterey County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Las Lomas's 664 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Monterey County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Monterey 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 Monterey County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Las Lomas's 664 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Las Lomas you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 664 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields record about 0.5 miles 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 Las Lomas-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address