What Grows in Combine, Texas

USDA Zones 8b · 5K acres

Combine, Texas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

Growers here do well with cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens — with the usual caveat that any single yard's soil, sun, and drainage cast the deciding vote.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Combine, 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 Combine 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 Combine — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Combine — the short answer

Combine, Texas: USDA zone 8b, about 280 days between hard freezes, across 5K acres of city.

USDA zone
8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 20
Kaufman County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 27
Kaufman County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~280
Kaufman County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
City area
5K 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 Kaufman County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

8b8b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 8b is Combine's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Combine's 280-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Combine

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

Season length

From county records

Combine runs about 280 days between hard freezes (read from Kaufman County, the closest normal to Combine) — 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

Combine sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b.

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 Combine is in

Combine sits in the Texas Blackland Prairies — EPA Level III, inside the wider Great Plains. That is read at Combine's own centroid rather than borrowed from Kaufman County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Combine

Every plant below cleared Combine's own zone 8b and its 280-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in TexasZones 2–11Combine's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Texas fig guideZones 6–10Combine's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Combine's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Combine's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in TexasZones 7–10Combine's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Texas rosemary guideZones 8–10Combine's 8b is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Kale in TexasZones 2–11Combine's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pomegranate, photograph
Pomegranate: Texas growing notesZones 7–10Combine's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Growing lavender in TexasZones 5–8Combine's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Texas lentil guideZones 2–11Combine's 280 days clear the ~70 it needs.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in TexasZones 5–10Combine's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: Texas growing notesZones 2–12Combine's 280 days clear the ~50 it needs.
almond, photograph
Growing almond in TexasZones 5–9Combine's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
potato, photograph
Texas potato guideZones 2–11Combine's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in TexasZones 3–11Combine's 280 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Combine's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Combine's 280 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Combine's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in TexasZones 3–8Combine's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Texas growing notesZones 3–8Combine's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasCombine's 280 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Combine's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10Combine's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Texas growing notesZones 6–8Combine's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in TexasZones 5–11Combine's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pearl millet, photograph
Texas pearl millet guideZones 5–11Combine's 280 days clear the ~60 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Combine's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Texas growing notesZones 4–10Combine's 8b — 4 zones of cold margin.
phacelia, photograph
Growing phacelia in TexasZones 2–11Combine's 280 days clear the ~100 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11Combine's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Combine?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 23; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 20 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 27 — 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 Combine

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

  1. COMBINE STORE & CAFEUnderground Storage Tanks · 2600 ft
  2. MATLOCKS COUNTRY CORNERUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  3. SEAGOVILLE AIRPORTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  4. CITY OF SEAGOVILLEPFAS · 1.7 mi
  5. COMBINE WSCPFAS · 1.7 mi
  6. SHAR TRUCKINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.4 mi
  7. BUILDINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.5 mi
  8. CITY OF SEAGOVILLEUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.6 mi
  9. W R HODGSONUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.7 mi
  10. EQUITY DEVELOPMENTUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.9 mi
  11. CORNER STORE 4529Underground Storage Tanks · 4.0 mi
  12. FERRIS SAND & GRAVEL SHOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.0 mi

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

Measured from Combine'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 Combine.

Total Sites

139

within ~10 miles of Combine

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

3 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Combine

High4Moderate59Low76

Highest-Severity Sites

Diamond D
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
K & J Family Market
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Kellys Food
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Matlocks Country Corner
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
S & Z Food Store
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Combine, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Combine — PFAS (4 sites) and Superfund (3 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

PFAS: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called "forever chemicals" because they do not biodegrade.

Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.

Test irrigation water source — this is the primary pathway for PFAS to reach garden crops.

Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Combine

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 Combine average

Your land is one point inside Combine

Everything above resolves to Combine as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 5K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Kaufman 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 Combine Average

Combine Average

  • USDA Zones 8b, averaged across Combine
  • One soil character for all of Combine
  • Frost dates read at Combine's scale: Feb 20 to Nov 27

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Combine's 8b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Combine

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Combine averages 280Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Combine

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 Kaufman 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 Combine

When does frost risk typically end in Combine?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Combine typically lands around Feb 20, 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 13.

When is the first frost in Combine?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Combine typically arrives around Nov 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 13, so the watching starts about Oct 28 — about 280 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Combine?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Combine sees about 280 frost-free days — roughly Feb 20 through Nov 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 13 to Nov 13, about 245 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Combine?

The federal record around Combine is a meaningful one — 139 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (101), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.5 miles out — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Combine?

From about Oct 28 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 Nov 27 (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 Nov 27. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Combine's scale — its 8b band and its 280-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Combine'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 Combine’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Combine's own scale — the 4,660 acres it covers and 139 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Combine's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 139 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Combine, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.5 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Combine's boundary and the 4,660 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8b and a ~280-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Combine's own centroid, the Texas Blackland PrairiesUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Combine has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Kaufman County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Combine's 4,660 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Kaufman County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Kaufman 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 Kaufman County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Combine's 4,660 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Combine you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 4,660 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.5 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 Combine-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address