What Grows in Coldspring, Texas

USDA Zones 9a · 1K acres

Coldspring, Texas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 9a — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.

The conditions favor artichoke, fig, california poppy, and cabbage, among others — though every individual site edits that list with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Coldspring, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Coldspring lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Coldspring — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Coldspring — the short answer

Coldspring, Texas: USDA zone 9a, about 300 days between hard freezes, across 1K acres of city.

USDA zone
9a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 10
San Jacinto County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 7
San Jacinto County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~300
San Jacinto County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
City area
1K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are San Jacinto County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

9a9a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 9a is Coldspring's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Coldspring's 300-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Coldspring

Each reading below is measured for Coldspring itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

From county records

Coldspring runs about 300 days between hard freezes (read from San Jacinto County, the closest normal to Coldspring) — close to year-round growing.

Frost is rarely the limit here; winter plantings are as real as summer ones, and the harder question is which crops shrug off the summer heat.

Grow cool-season crops through the mild winter, and choose heat-tolerant varieties for the summer beds.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Coldspring sits in USDA hardiness zone 9a.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Coldspring is in

Coldspring sits in the South Central Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Coldspring's own centroid rather than borrowed from San Jacinto County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Coldspring

Every plant below cleared Coldspring's own zone 9a and its 300-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

artichoke, photograph
Growing artichoke in TexasZones 7–11Coldspring's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Texas fig guideZones 6–10Coldspring's 9a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Coldspring's 9a — 3 zones of cold margin.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Coldspring's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
Meyer lemon, photograph
Growing meyer lemon in TexasZones 9–11Coldspring's 9a is its exact cold limit.
rosemary, photograph
Texas rosemary guideZones 8–10Coldspring's 9a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens in TexasZones 2–11Coldspring's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Avocado: Texas growing notesZones 9–11Coldspring's 9a is its exact cold limit.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in TexasColdspring's 300 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Texas kale guideZones 2–11Coldspring's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil in TexasZones 2–11Coldspring's 300 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Okra: Texas growing notesZones 2–12Coldspring's 300 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Growing potato in TexasZones 2–11Coldspring's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Texas pumpkin guideZones 3–11Coldspring's 300 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in TexasZones 2–11Coldspring's 300 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Coldspring's 9a — 6 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Coldspring's 300 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Coldspring's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in TexasZones 7–11Coldspring's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
barrel cactus, photograph
Barrel cactus: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Coldspring's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasColdspring's 300 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Coldspring's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10Coldspring's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Coldspring's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in TexasZones 5–11Coldspring's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
crab grass, photograph
Texas crab grass guideZones 7–11Coldspring's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Coldspring's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Texas growing notesZones 4–10Coldspring's 9a — 5 zones of cold margin.
feather top Rhodes grass, photograph
Growing feather top rhodes grass in TexasZones 7–11Coldspring's 300 days clear the ~90 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11Coldspring's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Coldspring?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 13; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 10 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 7 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the calendar nearly circles: cool-season crops take the winter shift, and the next window is always close.

What's on the federal record near Coldspring

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Coldspring. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. IN & OUT FOOD STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  2. MIDWAY 19Underground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  3. BROOKSHIRE BROTHERS 72Underground Storage Tanks · 1300 ft
  4. FAMILY DOLLAR #6728Brownfields · 1500 ft
  5. COLDSPRING FOOD STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  6. HICKORY PIT BAR B CUE & BURGER HOUSEUnderground Storage Tanks · 2600 ft
  7. SHELL COLDSPRINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  8. B & H KOUNTRY GROCERYUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  9. B & H KOUNTRY GROCERY 2Underground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  10. BROCKS 2Underground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  11. BROCKS 1Underground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  12. COLDSPRING AUTOMOTIVEUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Coldspring's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Coldspring.

Total Sites

76

within ~10 miles of Coldspring

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

1 brownfield site

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Coldspring

High1Moderate28Low47

Highest-Severity Sites

San Jacinto Sud
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
B & H Kountry Grocery
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Brookshire Brothers 72
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Browders 3278 Marina
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Bucks One-Stop
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Coldspring, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 62 sites within ~10 miles of Coldspring. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.

Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Coldspring

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Coldspring average

Your land is one point inside Coldspring

Everything above resolves to Coldspring as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 1K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from San Jacinto County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this city’s own centroid. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at city scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Coldspring Average

Coldspring Average

  • USDA Zones 9a, averaged across Coldspring
  • One soil character for all of Coldspring
  • Frost dates read at Coldspring's scale: Feb 10 to Dec 7

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Coldspring's 9a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Coldspring

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Coldspring, Texas — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Coldspring averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Coldspring averages 300Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Coldspring — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Coldspring average

How we know this about Coldspring

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this city’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at San Jacinto County’s record, because none resolves here; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at city grain anywhere on this page — there is no city-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Coldspring

When does frost risk typically end in Coldspring?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Coldspring typically lands around Feb 10, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. 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 3.

When is the first frost in Coldspring?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Coldspring typically arrives around Dec 7, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 23, so the watching starts about Nov 7 — about 300 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Coldspring?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Coldspring sees about 300 frost-free days — roughly Feb 10 through Dec 7, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 3 to Nov 23, about 265 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Coldspring?

The federal record around Coldspring shows 76 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (62), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out — a typical footprint for a growing area, and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. It's worth seeing which recorded sites sit closest to where you grow, and testing the soil before new food beds near any of them.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Coldspring?

From about Nov 7 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Dec 7 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Dec 7. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Coldspring's scale — its 9a band and its 300-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Coldspring's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Coldspring’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Coldspring's own scale — the 1,188 acres it covers and 76 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Coldspring's own USDA hardiness band, zones 9aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 76 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Coldspring, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Coldspring's boundary and the 1,188 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 9a and a ~300-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Coldspring's own centroid, the South Central PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Coldspring has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom San Jacinto County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Coldspring's 1,188 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom San Jacinto County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom San Jacinto County
  • The growing challenges every Texas grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Texas
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom San Jacinto County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Coldspring's 1,188 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Coldspring you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,188 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Coldspring-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address