California · Field & vine
Typically early May to mid-October, with peak mid-May through late August.
Hatched chalk = early and late shoulders; solid = peak.
Desert fields start in spring, then coast and valley plantings overlap all summer into fall.
From early May — first pickings, lighter supply, best prices come later.
mid-May through late August — full stalls, full flavor. This is the stretch to plan around.
Through mid-October — quantity for preserving, and the stalls start dealing.
about 24 weeks end to end, shoulders included.
A staple of u-pick vegetable farms — wear long sleeves against prickly stems and cut rather than twist. The picking window tracks the band above: early trips get clean fields, peak (mid-May through late August) is the sure bet, late season is for quantity.
Farm-to-farm variation is real — up to two weeks either side of the typical window. Plan the trip, then call the farm before you drive.
Zucchini peak moves across the map. After this window, it lands next in:
The whole national sweep · everything in season in California
In California, the zucchini season typically runs early May to mid-October, with peak availability mid-May through late August. Exact weeks shift a little with each year's weather.
Aim for peak: mid-May through late August. An early trip around early May gets first choice of clean fields; a late one is for stock-the-freezer quantity. Any single farm can run up to two weeks either side of the chart — call before you drive.
about 24 weeks end to end — early May to mid-October. The early and late shoulders are real but lighter; the solid stretch of chalk on the band is the sure bet.