Conditional — Some Areas
elephant foot yam (zones 9-12) reaches only part of Texas (6b-10b): zones 9-10 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Elephant Foot Yam in Texas — the short answer
Elephant Foot Yam in Texas: hardy in zones 9–12, full sun, against a state median of ~274 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 9-12
- 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 has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score elephant foot yam against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
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
A single Texas answer averages 254 counties whose growing seasons are 146 days apart — from 197 frost-free days in Dallam County to 343 in Kenedy County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what elephant foot yam can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 254 counties runs 252–297 days, with a median of 274 days — a 146-day span end to end.
Measured across 254 Texas counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. 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
Elephant Foot Yam is rated for zones 9–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 20 to 30°F. Against Texas’s 254 counties that band holds in 78 of them, and the line runs at Angelina County (zone 9a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 9–12
78 counties
- Atascosa County · zone 9a
- Austin County · zone 9a
- Bastrop County · zone 9a
3 of 78 shown
Below the zone 9 floor
176 counties
- Dallam County · zone 6b
- Lipscomb County · zone 6b
- Armstrong County · zone 7a
3 of 176 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
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 elephant foot yam (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Elephant Foot Yam Needs
- USDA Zones: 9-12
- Frost-Free Days: 220+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Picking window: ~30 days of harvest
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 9-12)
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 Elephant Foot Yam 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.
Frost tenderness
Elephant Foot Yam is frost-tender — FAO ECOCROP puts its killing temperature at 32°F — so set plants out two to three weeks PAST your local last hard freeze, not on it and not on the state's earliest date. The 28°F marker above is when killing freezes stop, not when light frost does. That is the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor — an established perennial comes through far colder while dormant, which is what its hardiness zone tells you.
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 elephant foot yam 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
Elephant Foot Yam wants 220+ frost-free days; a typical Texas site sees ~274 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
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
Elephant Foot Yam likes near-neutral soil (pH 5-7.5). 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 5.5 and 6.2 — 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.
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.
Before you plant elephant foot yam for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before elephant foot yam goes in. What follows is Texas’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Texas — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Texas — 93,167 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 480 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Texas carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across Texas
Severity Distribution
across Texas
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Texas, two things run higher than the national average across Texas — PFAS (1,103 sites) and Underground Storage Tanks (61,246 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.
PFAS: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called "forever chemicals" because they do not biodegrade.
Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.
Test irrigation water source — this is the primary pathway for PFAS to reach garden crops.
Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Elephant Foot Yam 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
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Texas grower, not just elephant foot yam — is covered on the Texas growing guide.
Timing shifts within Texas
Elephant Foot Yam needs about 220 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 236 of Texas’s 254 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Donley County at 221 frost-free days — 1 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
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 elephant foot yam about 54 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"). Elephant Foot Yam's 220-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Elephant Foot Yam draws native bees (low value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, elephant foot yam can only work that bloom inside Texas's frost window — roughly 274 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 10 - Mar 12) and closing at the first (Nov 18 - Dec 4), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Texas Cooperative Extension
For Texas-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for elephant foot yam, 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.
Common Questions About Growing Elephant Foot Yam in Texas
When can I plant Elephant Foot Yam 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). Elephant Foot Yam is frost-tender — its killing temperature is 32°F (FAO ECOCROP — the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor) — so wait two to three weeks past your site's last hard freeze, when light frost has also stopped, before planting out.
What hardiness zone is Elephant Foot Yam grown in across Texas?
Texas spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Elephant Foot Yam carries a range of zones 9-12, 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). Elephant Foot Yam needs 220+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
How should I amend the soil for Elephant Foot Yam in Texas?
Elephant Foot Yam prefers pH 5-7.5 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 Elephant Foot Yam actually grow on my specific land in Texas?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores elephant foot yam 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 elephant foot yam against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Texas elephant foot yam 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 elephant foot yam average
Explore More
Growing guides for elephant foot yam
Explore Texas county by county
Texas carries 254 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for elephant foot yam there:
Where else elephant foot yam grows
Elephant Foot Yam'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.
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