What Grows in Evadale, Texas

USDA Zones 9a · 11K acres

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

Well-matched crops include artichoke, fig, california poppy, and cabbage, and the gap between "grows in the area" and "grows in your yard" is closed by soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Evadale — the short answer

Evadale, Texas: USDA zone 9a, about 299 days between hard freezes, across 11K acres of town.

USDA zone
9a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 8
Jasper County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 4
Jasper County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~299
Jasper County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
11K 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 Jasper 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 Evadale's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Evadale's 299-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Evadale

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

Season length

From county records

Evadale runs about 299 days between hard freezes (read from Jasper County, the closest normal to Evadale) — 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

Evadale 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 Evadale is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Evadale

Every plant below cleared Evadale's own zone 9a and its 299-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

artichoke, photograph
Growing artichoke in TexasZones 7–11Evadale's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Texas fig guideZones 6–10Evadale's 9a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Evadale's 9a — 3 zones of cold margin.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Evadale's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
Meyer lemon, photograph
Growing meyer lemon in TexasZones 9–11Evadale's 9a is its exact cold limit.
rosemary, photograph
Texas rosemary guideZones 8–10Evadale's 9a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens in TexasZones 2–11Evadale's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Avocado: Texas growing notesZones 9–11Evadale's 9a is its exact cold limit.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in TexasEvadale's 299 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Texas kale guideZones 2–11Evadale's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil in TexasZones 2–11Evadale's 299 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Okra: Texas growing notesZones 2–12Evadale's 299 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Growing potato in TexasZones 2–11Evadale's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Texas pumpkin guideZones 3–11Evadale's 299 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in TexasZones 2–11Evadale's 299 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Evadale's 9a — 6 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Evadale's 299 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Evadale's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in TexasZones 7–11Evadale's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
barrel cactus, photograph
Barrel cactus: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Evadale's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasEvadale's 299 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Evadale's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10Evadale's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Evadale's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in TexasZones 5–11Evadale's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
crab grass, photograph
Texas crab grass guideZones 7–11Evadale's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Evadale's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Texas growing notesZones 4–10Evadale's 9a — 5 zones of cold margin.
feather top Rhodes grass, photograph
Growing feather top rhodes grass in TexasZones 7–11Evadale's 299 days clear the ~90 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11Evadale's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Evadale?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 11; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 8 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around 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.

What's on the federal record near Evadale

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

  1. BEN BRUCE MEMORIAL AIR PARKUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.1 mi
  2. PR-61-48-208Nitrate · 1.5 mi
  3. PITT STOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.7 mi
  4. PR-61-48-201Nitrate · 1.7 mi
  5. PR-61-48-301Nitrate · 1.7 mi
  6. EVADALE STATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.8 mi
  7. PR-61-48-210Nitrate · 1.8 mi
  8. PR-61-48-211Nitrate · 1.9 mi
  9. PR-61-48-212Nitrate · 1.9 mi
  10. RIVERSIDE COMMODITIESBrownfields · 2.2 mi
  11. BRUCES MACHINE & REPAIRUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.2 mi
  12. WESTROCK TEXASPFAS · 2.2 mi

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

Measured from Evadale'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 Evadale.

Total Sites

201

within ~10 miles of Evadale

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

7 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Evadale

High3Moderate111Low87

Highest-Severity Sites

Westrock Texas
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Ben Bruce Memorial Air Park
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Buna Cardlock
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Buna General
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Buna Jiffy Market
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Evadale, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Evadale — PFAS (4 sites) and Nitrate (62 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.

Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.

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

Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Evadale

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 Evadale average

Your land is one point inside Evadale

Everything above resolves to Evadale as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 11K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Jasper County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this town’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 town 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 Evadale Average

Evadale Average

  • USDA Zones 9a, averaged across Evadale
  • One soil character for all of Evadale
  • Frost dates read at Evadale's scale: Feb 8 to Dec 4

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Evadale

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Evadale averages 299Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Evadale

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Jasper 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 town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-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 Evadale

When does frost risk typically end in Evadale?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Evadale typically lands around Feb 8, 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 1.

When is the first frost in Evadale?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Evadale typically arrives around Dec 4, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 20, so the watching starts about Nov 4 — about 299 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Evadale?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Evadale sees about 299 frost-free days — roughly Feb 8 through Dec 4, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 1 to Nov 20, about 264 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Evadale?

The federal record around Evadale is a meaningful one — 201 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (89), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.1 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 Evadale?

From about Nov 4 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 4 (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 4. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Evadale's scale — its 9a band and its 299-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Evadale'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 Evadale’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Evadale's own scale — the 10,755 acres it covers and 201 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Evadale's own USDA hardiness band, zones 9aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 201 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Evadale, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.1 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Evadale's boundary and the 10,755 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 9a and a ~299-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Evadale's own centroid, the South Central PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Evadale has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Jasper County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Evadale's 10,755 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Jasper County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Jasper 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 Jasper County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Evadale's 10,755 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Evadale you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 10,755 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.1 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 Evadale-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address