The Gulf Coast spans USDA hardiness zones 9a-10a — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.
The humid, near-frost-free coastal rim of the Gulf of Mexico — long seasons, sandy and alluvial soils, heat, and hurricanes shaping what thrives. (Representative coastal counties, not exhaustive.) These conditions suit pecan, muscadine grape, okra, and collard greens — a starting list any specific site will trim or extend with its own soil, sun, and drainage.
The Gulf Coast spans Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Your yard isn't the whole Gulf Coast.
The Gulf Coast spans USDA zones 9a-10a, but your parcel sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and low spots nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score 1,112 plants 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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Quick Facts
USDA Zones
9a-10a
States
5
Counties
30
Defined by
Counties
Hardiness Zone Range
What Grows in the Gulf Coast
Plants matched to the Gulf Coast's USDA zones 9a-10a — each links to its full growing profile.
Native Plants Suited to the Gulf Coast
US-native plants (USDA PLANTS, Lower 48) whose hardiness range overlaps the Gulf Coast’s USDA zones 9a-10a. Zone overlap is a starting filter, not a range map — for plants documented native to your county, your state’s Cooperative Extension or a native-plant society is the authority.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across the Gulf Coast — and how to grow with it.
A growing region spans many local records, and contamination is a per-place fact — not a regional verdict. Nationwide we track 1.8M documented sites across 9 federal source types; open the map outlined to the Gulf Coast to see exactly what's on record where you grow.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
Your Specific Parcel Matters
the Gulf Coast Average
- ●USDA Zones 9a-10a
- ●Generic soil type for the area
- ●State-average frost dates
YOUR Parcel
- ✓Your exact hardiness zone
- ✓Your SSURGO soil type & pH
- ✓Your sun exposure, cast in 3D
See MY Growing Report
Read your parcel in the Gulf Coast
Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in the Gulf Coast — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, contamination, and scored plant recommendations.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
Key Growing Facts for the Gulf Coast
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 9a-10a (USDA PHZM 2023, aggregated across the region)
- States: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas
- Counties covered: 30
- Region boundary: a cluster of neighboring counties
Zone data: USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Region boundary: curated county clusters and EPA Level III ecoregions. County boundaries: US Census TIGER/Line 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zone is the Gulf Coast?
The Gulf Coast spans USDA hardiness zones 9a-10a, aggregated from the USDA Agricultural Research Service Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 across the region's counties. Zones reflect average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991–2020 data.
What grows well in the Gulf Coast?
The Gulf Coast's conditions suit plants such as Pecan, Muscadine Grape, Okra, Collard Greens, Fig, Mango. For site-specific recommendations scored against your parcel's soil, drainage, and sun data, run the Growable Ground report for your address.
Which states does the Gulf Coast cover?
The Gulf Coast spans Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Each state's full growing guide is linked below.