What USDA hardiness zones are in Texas?
Texas spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-10b — which is to say winter's coldest night runs from about −5°F to 40°F depending where in Texas you are, averaged over 1991–2020 (USDA PHZM 2023).
Is it too late to plant in Texas?
Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Across Texas, cool-season planting typically opens about four weeks before the local last hard freeze — county medians put that freeze near Feb 25, with the middle half of counties between Feb 10 and Mar 12 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Tender transplants wait two to three weeks past it, and fall planting counts back from first freezes mostly between Nov 18 and Dec 4 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. In a climate this gentle, “too late” hardly applies — the question becomes which crops prefer the cooler months ahead.
When does frost risk typically end in Texas?
Across Texas, the middle half of counties see their last hard freeze (28°F) between about Feb 10 and Mar 12, with a county median near Feb 25 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about Mar 18.
How long is the growing season in Texas?
Measured between 28°F hard freezes, growing seasons across Texas's counties mostly run about 252 to 297 days, with a county median near 274 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Tender crops get a somewhat shorter practical window, since lighter frosts reach a few weeks past the hard-freeze dates on both ends.
What vegetables grow well in Texas?
Texas's zones 6b-10b support a wide range — strong performers include Pecan, Tomato, Okra, Bluebonnet, and Jalapeno. What actually takes on any one site comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage, and we score each plant against the real conditions at your address.
Which hardiness zone is Texas, really?
Officially, Texas spans USDA zones 6b-10b (USDA PHZM 2023) — but a zone is a 30-year average of winter's coldest night across an area, and it can't see any one yard. A south-facing slope, a tree line, or a low frost pocket can shift a single site by half a zone either way, which is why neighboring gardeners often quote different numbers. We read the conditions at your exact address — soil, sun, slope, and frost — and score 1,086 plants against what's actually there.
Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Texas?
The federal record across Texas runs heavier than most — 93,167 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (61,246) — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.
Just moved to Texas — what should I know before planting?
Start with three facts. Texas spans USDA zones 6b-10b, which sets what survives winter; last hard freezes range from about Feb 10 to Mar 12 across its counties (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and 93,167 documented sites sit on the federal record here, so a soil test before food beds is the smart first step. From there, matching plants to your actual soil and sun is the fun part.
