• Cool-weather tomatoes are most appropriate for the Martinez area.tomatoes image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  Martinez, California is a small city in central California near the San Francisco and San Pablo bays. The area's Mediterranean-type climate makes it an excellent place for vegetable gardening. However, it is difficult to decide what vegetables to plant in which season. Martinez is located in USDA Zone 10a and has an average annual minimum temperature of 30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Moderate temperatures and an early spring make it possible to plant many common garden vegetables as early as March.
  
  

Beans

• According to The Vegetable Garden, you can plant lima beans, bush beans and pole beans in zone 10a between February and April, with another planting season around September. Beans are best started from seed and planted to a depth of 1 to 2 inches.
  
  

Squash

• Several varieties of squash also grow well in the Martinez area. Summer squash, such as zucchini and crookneck, winter squash like acorn and butternut, and you can even plant pumpkins around March. March plantings are also appropriate for cucumbers, close relatives of squash.
  
  

Peppers

• The Bay area climate is suitable for growing both sweet and hot peppers, which are planted between January and March in this zone. Sweet peppers are often sensitive to hot days and do well in Martinez's often foggy weather. Hot peppers prefer warmer weather and are ideally planted in the sunniest part of the yard.
  
  

Tomatoes

• March planting is appropriate for all varieties of tomatoes, but the choice of tomato type can affect gardening success. Due to the Bay area's frequent overcast weather and cool temperatures, it's important to choose cool-weather varieties like Black Krim, Green Zebra, and Russian Roma over tomatoes that prefer their days hot and bright. According to University of California Master Gardeners, tomatoes planted in the Bay area tend to mature 35 to 50 percent more slowly than they do in areas with more direct sun.
  
  

Greens

• Most greens are winter vegetables in the Martinez area since summer temperatures may cause them to wilt and die. However, March planting is appropriate for some hardier greens, including Romaine and leaf lettuce, collards and escarole. March is the very end of the planting season for these greens and can put them at risk of heat damage.
  
  

Roots

• As with greens, many roots are winter vegetables in central California. Carrots, beets, turnips, potatoes and bunching onions are all at the end of their planting season around March but may still grow well.