USDA Zone 10B
Truly tropical. South Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico. Frost essentially never occurs. Year-round tropical gardening.
Temperature Range
What Does Zone 10B Mean?
USDA Hardiness Zone 10B means your area's average annual extreme minimum winter temperature falls between 35°F to 40°F (2°C to 4°C). This is the coldest temperature you can typically expect in a normal winter, based on 30 years of climate data.
Your zone primarily determines which perennial plants (trees, shrubs, perennial flowers, and fruit bushes) can survive outdoors year-round. It's also strongly correlated with your frost dates, which are the foundation for calculating when to plant annual vegetables and flowers. Learn more about what hardiness zones mean.
Enter your zip code on our homepage tool to see personalized planting dates for all 50 plants based on your specific location within Zone 10B.
States in Zone 10B
These states contain areas classified as Zone 10B:
Best Plants for Zone 10B
These plants are well-suited to Zone 10B conditions. Click any plant for detailed growing information and state-specific planting dates.
Lemongrass
Tropical grass with intense lemon flavor essential to Thai and Vietnamese...
Root VegetableSweet Potatoes
Not related to regular potatoes at all. Sweet potatoes need heat and a long...
Warm-Season VegetableOkra
A Southern garden staple that thrives in blazing heat. Beautiful flowers are a...
Warm-Season VegetableHabanero Peppers
Extremely hot peppers with fruity, citrusy undertones. Need a long, warm...
HerbBasil
The king of herbs. Basil and tomatoes are best friends in the garden and in the...
Warm-Season VegetableCherry Tomatoes
Bite-sized tomatoes that produce massive quantities with less effort than...
Warm-Season VegetableEggplant
Beautiful purple fruits that love heat even more than tomatoes. Start early...
Warm-Season VegetableTomatillos
The key ingredient in salsa verde, producing golf-ball-sized fruits inside...
Warm-Season VegetableBlack-Eyed Peas (Cowpeas)
Heat-loving legume essential to Southern cooking. Produces where beans fail in...
FruitFigs
Ancient Mediterranean fruit tree that thrives in warm climates and can be...
Perennial FlowerEchinacea (Coneflower)
Native prairie flower producing daisy-like blooms beloved by butterflies and...
Cool-Season VegetableArugula
Peppery salad green that grows fast in cool weather. Ready to harvest in just...
Frequently Asked Questions
The calendar is fully inverted. Your prime vegetable season is October through April — the months northern gardeners are dormant. Summer heat exceeding 100°F shuts down most traditional vegetables from June through September. Tropical plants — mangoes, papayas, avocados, coconut palms — grow outdoors permanently. Your "winter" garden IS the main garden.
Plants needing winter chill struggle: tulips, most apple varieties, standard cherries, peonies, lilacs, and rhubarb require cold dormancy your winters don't provide. For spring bulbs, choose paperwhite narcissus, amaryllis, and freesias that skip the chill requirement. For fruit, focus on tropical and subtropical varieties — mangoes, avocados, lychees, and citrus replace the temperate fruits that won't perform here.