Generally — Most Areas
American beech (zones 3-9) suits most of Texas (6b-10b) — zones 6-9 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
American Beech in Texas — the short answer
American Beech in Texas: hardy in zones 3–9, full sun, against a state median of ~274 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 3-9
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Texas zones
- 6b-10b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Feb 10 - Mar 12 – Nov 18 - Dec 4
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 197 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Texas spans zones 6b-10b, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score american beech against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Texas is not one climate
Texas’s winter-low ladder runs across 254 counties, from zone 6.5 in Dallam County to zone 10 in Willacy County. That is 35°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between american beech overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 254 counties runs 8–9 zones, with a median of 8.5 zones — a 3.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 254 Texas counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in Texas Fits Best
American Beech is rated for zones 3–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Against Texas’s 254 counties that band holds in 225 of them, and the line runs at Dallam County (zone 6b), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 3–9
225 counties
- Lipscomb County · zone 6b
- Armstrong County · zone 7a
- Bailey County · zone 7a
3 of 225 shown
Above the zone 9 ceiling
29 counties
- Aransas County · zone 9b
- Bee County · zone 9b
- Brazoria County · zone 9b
3 of 29 shown
Too little winter chill rather than too much cold — a low-chill selection is what changes it.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Even within Texas's zones 6b-10b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for american beech (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
American Beech Needs
- USDA Zones: 3-9
- Frost-Free Days: 95+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 70 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: High
Texas Has
- USDA Zones: 6b-10b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 10 - Mar 12
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 18 - Dec 4
- Annual Rainfall: 8-56 inches
- Common Soils: Black clay (Blackland Prairie), Sandy loam, Caliche
Plant Zone Range (zones 3-9)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant American Beech in Texas
The frost window
Across Texas, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 10 and Mar 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 18 and Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 251-day window you can count on — up to 297 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Texas runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for american beech, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether american beech is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Texas; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Dallam County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says american beech survives winter in part of Texas, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
American Beech wants 95+ frost-free days; a typical Texas site sees ~274 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Chill hours
American Beech requires ~1000 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Texas typically banks ~1122 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), which keeps this plant on track.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
American Beech likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.1-7). That's the common-ground band across Texas's black clay (blackland prairie) and sandy loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 4.5 and 6 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Texas soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Texas site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Texas's soils run mostly fine sandy loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. American Beech needs about 59 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how american beech performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Texas soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for American Beech in Texas
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Texas growers also need to think about:
Extreme heat (100F+ days) stresses many crops from June through September
Rainfall varies dramatically — 8 inches in west TX to 56 inches in east TX
Heavy black clay (Blackland Prairie) is difficult to work and drains poorly
Flash drought conditions can develop rapidly even in wet years
Growing american beech here specifically
American Beech sends deep roots and rates to zones 3–9, but much of Texas sits on slow-draining, restrictive ground (SSURGO hydrologic group D) that forks and stunts them.
Loosen a deep, stone-free bed for american beech and break any compacted or hardpan layer before planting. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Texas grower, not just american beech — is covered on the Texas growing guide.
Timing shifts within Texas
Texas isn't one climate. In Dallam County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 12 — roughly 46 days later than the recorded state median — so plant american beech to your county's window, not the statewide date.
American Beech needs about 95 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Dallam County — Texas’s shortest season at 197 frost-free days — clears that by 102 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Texas. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Texas’s 254 counties the frost-free season runs from 197 days in Dallam County to 343 days in Kenedy County — a spread of 146 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Texas county sees 274 frost-free days, leaving american beech about 179 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). American Beech's 95-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Texas Cooperative Extension
For Texas-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for american beech, the canonical source is Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is American Beech native to Texas?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents American Beech as native to Texas. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing American Beech in Texas
When can I plant American Beech in Texas?
Texas's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 10 and Mar 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 18 and Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for American Beech, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Texas and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is American Beech grown in across Texas?
Texas spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). American Beech carries a range of zones 3-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Texas site have?
A typical Texas site sees ~274 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). American Beech needs 95+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Dallam, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is American Beech native to Texas?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents American Beech as native to Texas. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
How should I amend the soil for American Beech in Texas?
American Beech prefers pH 4.1-7 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Texas soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will American Beech actually grow on my specific land in Texas?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores american beech against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Texas
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores american beech against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Texas american beech averages can't show:
We read public map data around Texas — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Texas american beech average
Explore More
Growing guides for american beech
Explore Texas county by county
Texas carries 254 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for american beech there:
Where else american beech grows
American Beech's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Texas in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Texas
Texas has a growing page for 1,041 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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