What to plant this week in San Francisco, CA
San Francisco gardeners in zone 10b are officially in deep summer mode with no frost worries, meaning you can aggressively sow warm-season giants like cantaloupe, watermelon, and bush beans right now. Your main focus this week is maximizing harvest on your basil, zucchini, and summer squash while navigating the city's unique microclimates to prevent late-blooming issues.
The next 7 days
San Francisco, CAGrowing in San Francisco right now
- Embrace the cool fog belt: If growing in neighborhoods like Outer Sunset or Richmond where fog rolls in daily, use row covers or cloches to trap heat for cold-sensitive crops like okra and melons during morning lows near 35°F.
- Beware of summer drought stress on steep hillsides: San Francisco's dry season hits hard; install drip irrigation immediately for your pole beans and sunflowers rather than relying on erratic rainfall, which rarely occurs now.
- Watch the 'May Gray' hangover: Coastal areas may still see lingering cloud cover suppressing flowering in fennel and cosmos; prune dead flowers to encourage reblooming if temps stay below 70°F at night.
Sow this week
32 crops- Basil
- Borage
- Bush Bean
- Cantaloupe
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Fennel
- Flour Corn
- French Marigold
- Garden Verbena
- Gourd (Ornamental/Bottle)
- Honeydew Melon
- Lima Bean
- Malabar Spinach
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Pole Bean
- Pumpkin
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Summer Savory
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Thai Basil
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Winter Squash
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Transplant this week
Nothing is due to go out this week.
Harvest soon
34 crops- Basil
- Borage
- Bush Bean
- Cantaloupe
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Fennel
- Flour Corn
- French Marigold
- Garden Verbena
- Gourd (Ornamental/Bottle)
- Honeydew Melon
- Lima Bean
- Loofah (Luffa)
- Malabar Spinach
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Pole Bean
- Pumpkin
- Roselle (Cranberry Hibiscus)
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Summer Savory
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Thai Basil
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Winter Squash
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Seasonal tips
- Succession sow bush beans every two weeks to ensure a continuous harvest throughout the summer heat.
- Pinch back the tops of zucchini and yellow summer squash to encourage more fruit production rather than large vines.
- Add compost or aged manure around the base of okra and tomatoes to retain moisture in the dry air.
- Deadhead spent flowers on sunflowers and cosmos to keep them blooming for pollinators all season long.
Pest & disease watch
- Aphid outbreaks on basil and nasturtium are common in the sheltered fog pockets of the city's western side this week.
- Spider mites thrive in the dry, warm air of southern neighborhoods like Sunset or Noe Valley, targeting zucchini leaves first.
- Slugs remain active on low-growing crops like lima beans and malabar spinach if recent rains left moisture in shaded gardens.
Watering this week
Water deeply at the base of plants every 2-3 days to maintain consistent soil moisture during this hot weather.
Harvest basil and leafy greens like Malabar spinach in the cool morning hours for the crispest flavor and best texture.
San Francisco gardening questions
3Can I finally plant my melons and okra since there is no frost risk?
Absolutely; with San Francisco's zone 10b stability, sow cantaloupe, honeydew, and okra seeds directly into the ground this week as the soil has warmed sufficiently. Avoid waiting for a 'perfect' heat wave because the city rarely freezes here anyway.
Why aren't my fennel blooming in my windy garden?
Fennel often delays flowering until temperatures consistently stay above 70°F, which can be tricky in foggy neighborhoods like the Sunset District right now. Pinch off spent blooms to redirect energy toward seed production if you want them to finish before autumn.
What should I do about slugs eating my basil and beans?
Since San Francisco summers are dry but nights stay cool, slugs remain active in damp soil around basements or fence lines. Set out beer traps or hand-pick them early morning when they are most visible on your transplants.
Other cities in zone 10b
4See the full zone 10b guide → · Plan your San Francisco garden in SproutGuide →