When to plant fava bean in San Francisco

In San Francisco, typical last spring frost is December 24 and typical first fall frost is December 22. Typical last spring frost: December 24. Fava bean in San Francisco is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 365 days covers the 80–110 days this plant usually needs.

Fava bean

How to grow Fava bean San Francisco climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Comfortable in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Fava bean in San Francisco is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 365 days covers the 80–110 days this plant usually needs.

When to plantDecember 23 – June 28

Harvest: March 22 – November 6
Season vs crop: 365 grow days vs 80–110 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): December 24 – December 22

Fava bean in San Francisco is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 365 days covers the 80–110 days this plant usually needs.

Planting conditions

Direct sow
Harvest

Local activity windows for this place and growing method. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost.

Suitable growing days in a row365

Days to harvest80–110 days from seed

Dec 23 – Jun 28

Direct sow

Mar 22 – Nov 6

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Direct sow	Dec 23 – Jun 28	Plant outdoors in this window.
Harvest	Mar 22 – Nov 6	Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.

Direct sow
Harvest

Based on average frost dates (35 seasons (1991–2025)). Adjust a week or two for your conditions.

Planting and growing across the year

Planting is the sow / plant-out window. Growing is daytime air versus this plant’s ideal (15 – 21 °C59 – 70 °F15 – 21 °C (59 – 70 °F)) and tolerable (4 – 24 °C39 – 75 °F4 – 24 °C (39 – 75 °F)) ranges.

Ideal / plantable
Tolerable
Too cold
Too hot
Outside window

Planting uses sow / plant-out rules; growing shows daytime air against this plant’s ideal and tolerable ranges.

Key dates

Typical last spring frostDecember 24

Low-risk last spring frostJanuary 16

Typical first fall frostDecember 22

Low-risk first fall frostDecember 9

Frost-free days362

Outdoor sow dateDecember 23

Direct sow windowDecember 23 – June 28

Suitable growing windowJanuary 1 – December 31 (365 days)

Expected harvestMarch 22 – November 6

How these dates are judged

Ideal conditions: Daytime air from 15 – 21 °C59 – 70 °F15 – 21 °C (59 – 70 °F).
Suitable conditions: Daytime air from 4 – 24 °C39 – 75 °F4 – 24 °C (39 – 75 °F).
Last frost and first frost: Typical spring and fall frost dates for San Francisco, shown in the key dates.
Days to harvest: 80–110 days from seed, from typical days to harvest.
Sowing window: Dated sow and harvest bars use frost dates, soil minima, night limits, and last-sow count-back from typical crop timing. Air ratings on the weekly chart colour only weeks inside that same window — see weekly temperatures and windows.

Other plants for San Francisco

Calculated by Plan & Plant. Method. Data 35 seasons (1991–2025).

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics.

Based on 35 years (1991–2025) of ERA5-Land data from Open-Meteo, for an area of about 10 km. Typical dates, not a guarantee.

Dates for San Francisco use ERA5-Land cell 37.77, -122.42. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.

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