What Grows in Dublin, Texas

USDA Zones 8a · 2K acres

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

Reliable performers under these conditions include cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens; what your own ground favors still comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

No card required · your full report in seconds

Dublin — the short answer

Dublin, Texas: USDA zone 8a, about 266 days between hard freezes, across 2K acres of city.

USDA zone
8a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 2
Erath County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 23
Erath County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~266
Erath County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
City area
2K 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 Erath County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

8a8a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 8a is Dublin's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Dublin's 266-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Dublin

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

Season length

From county records

Dublin runs about 266 days between hard freezes (read from Erath County, the closest normal to Dublin) — 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

Dublin sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a.

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 Dublin is in

Dublin sits in the Cross Timbers — EPA Level III, inside the wider Great Plains. That is read at Dublin's own centroid rather than borrowed from Erath County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Dublin

Every plant below cleared Dublin's own zone 8a and its 266-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in TexasZones 2–11Dublin's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Texas fig guideZones 6–10Dublin's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Dublin's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Dublin's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Growing prickly pear in TexasZones 5–10Dublin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Texas lavender guideZones 5–8Dublin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in TexasZones 2–10Dublin's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: Texas growing notesZones 6–9Dublin's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Growing rosemary in TexasZones 8–10Dublin's 8a is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Texas kale guideZones 2–11Dublin's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in TexasZones 4–9Dublin's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Dublin's 266 days clear the ~70 it needs.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in TexasZones 7–10Dublin's 8a — 1 zone of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Texas okra guideZones 2–12Dublin's 266 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in TexasZones 2–11Dublin's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Dublin's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Dublin's 266 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Dublin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in TexasZones 3–8Dublin's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Texas growing notesZones 3–8Dublin's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasDublin's 266 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Dublin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10Dublin's 8a — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Texas growing notesZones 6–8Dublin's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in TexasZones 4–10Dublin's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Texas ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Dublin's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Dublin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Dublin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in TexasZones 5–10Dublin's 266 days clear the ~45 it needs.
blue grama, photograph
Texas blue grama guideZones 3–10Dublin's 266 days clear the ~90 it needs.

Is it too late to plant in Dublin?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 2; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 2 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 23 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. With almost year-round growing weather, timing is about heat and rainfall more than frost — some bench is always in play.

What's on the federal record near Dublin

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

  1. BALLOW OILUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  2. SORRELLS DUBLIN MOBILUnderground Storage Tanks · 1200 ft
  3. DON W STONEUnderground Storage Tanks · 1200 ft
  4. LAND O'LAKES FARMLAND FEEDToxics Release Inventory · 1200 ft
  5. DUBLIN CITY AIRPORTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1300 ft
  6. BIGS 105Underground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  7. DR PEPPER BOTTLINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  8. CITY WATER WORKSUnderground Storage Tanks · 1800 ft
  9. TAYLOR FOOD MART 81Underground Storage Tanks · 1800 ft
  10. JACKS AUTO & WELDINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  11. REEDER OILUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  12. CHIGGER RANCH FOOD STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 2600 ft

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

Measured from Dublin'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 Dublin.

Total Sites

95

within ~10 miles of Dublin

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

3 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Dublin

High1Moderate44Low50

Highest-Severity Sites

City of Dublin
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Allsups 14
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Armagh Dairy
Concentrated Animal Feeding · Effective
Beukeboom Ranch
Concentrated Animal Feeding · Effective
Bigs 105
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Dublin, CAFO runs higher than the national average — 55 sites within ~10 miles of Dublin. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

CAFO: CAFOs pose a different contamination profile than chemical sources.

Wash all produce consumed raw thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near CAFOs.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Dublin

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 Dublin average

Your land is one point inside Dublin

Everything above resolves to Dublin as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 2K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Erath 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 Dublin Average

Dublin Average

  • USDA Zones 8a, averaged across Dublin
  • One soil character for all of Dublin
  • Frost dates read at Dublin's scale: Mar 2 to Nov 23

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Dublin

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Dublin averages 266Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Dublin

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 Erath 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 Dublin

When does frost risk typically end in Dublin?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Dublin typically lands around Mar 2, 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 23.

When is the first frost in Dublin?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Dublin typically arrives around Nov 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 9, so the watching starts about Oct 24 — about 266 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Dublin?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Dublin sees about 266 frost-free days — roughly Mar 2 through Nov 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 23 to Nov 9, about 231 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Dublin?

The federal record around Dublin shows 95 documented sites, mostly CAFO entries (55), 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 Dublin?

From about Oct 24 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 23 (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 23. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Dublin's scale — its 8a band and its 266-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Dublin'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 Dublin’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Dublin's own scale — the 2,296 acres it covers and 95 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Dublin's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 95 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Dublin, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Dublin's boundary and the 2,296 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8a and a ~266-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Dublin's own centroid, the Cross TimbersUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Dublin has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Erath County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Dublin's 2,296 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Erath County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Erath 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 Erath County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Dublin's 2,296 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Dublin you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 2,296 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 Dublin-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address