What Grows in Greenville, Texas

USDA Zones 8b · 21K acres

Greenville, Texas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.

Among the crops suited to this profile: cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens. The site-level story — soil, sun, drainage — decides the rest.

Score your parcel · free

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

No card required · your full report in seconds

Greenville — the short answer

Greenville, Texas: USDA zone 8b, about 277 days between hard freezes, across 21K acres of city.

USDA zone
8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 23
Hunt County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 27
Hunt County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~277
Hunt County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
City area
21K 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 Hunt 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 Greenville's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Greenville's 277-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Greenville

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

Season length

From county records

Greenville runs about 277 days between hard freezes (read from Hunt County, the closest normal to Greenville) — 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

Greenville 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 Greenville is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Greenville

Every plant below cleared Greenville's own zone 8b and its 277-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in TexasZones 2–11Greenville's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Texas fig guideZones 6–10Greenville's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Greenville's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Greenville's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in TexasZones 7–10Greenville's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Texas rosemary guideZones 8–10Greenville's 8b is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Kale in TexasZones 2–11Greenville's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pomegranate, photograph
Pomegranate: Texas growing notesZones 7–10Greenville's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Growing lavender in TexasZones 5–8Greenville's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Texas lentil guideZones 2–11Greenville's 277 days clear the ~70 it needs.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in TexasZones 5–10Greenville's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: Texas growing notesZones 2–12Greenville's 277 days clear the ~50 it needs.
almond, photograph
Growing almond in TexasZones 5–9Greenville's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
potato, photograph
Texas potato guideZones 2–11Greenville's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in TexasZones 3–11Greenville's 277 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Greenville's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Greenville's 277 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Greenville's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in TexasZones 3–8Greenville's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Texas growing notesZones 3–8Greenville's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasGreenville's 277 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Greenville's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10Greenville's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Texas growing notesZones 6–8Greenville's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in TexasZones 5–11Greenville's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pearl millet, photograph
Texas pearl millet guideZones 5–11Greenville's 277 days clear the ~60 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Greenville's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Texas growing notesZones 4–10Greenville's 8b — 4 zones of cold margin.
phacelia, photograph
Growing phacelia in TexasZones 2–11Greenville's 277 days clear the ~100 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11Greenville's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Greenville?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 26; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 23 (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. And with a calendar this mild, the honest answer is that planting barely stops — winter opens seasons colder regions never see.

What's on the federal record near Greenville

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

  1. FIRE STATION 5Underground Storage Tanks · 700 ft
  2. DISCOUNT GAS TOBACCO & BEVERAGESUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  3. ROBERTS QUIK STOP 2Underground Storage Tanks · 850 ft
  4. BMA OF HUNT COUNTYUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  5. E Z OIL CHANGE & LUBEUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  6. KMART 9512Underground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  7. GREENVILLE FOOD MARTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1800 ft
  8. PRIMESTOP 2Underground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  9. QUICK STOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  10. RAS 6 3450Underground Storage Tanks · 2100 ft
  11. BROOKSHIRE FOOD STORE 74Underground Storage Tanks · 2400 ft
  12. WOOTEN TEXACOUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi

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

Measured from Greenville'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 Greenville.

Total Sites

220

within ~10 miles of Greenville

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

2 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Greenville

High3Moderate83Low134

Highest-Severity Sites

City of Greenville, Tx
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Esco Manufacturing Facility
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Texas a&M University Commerce
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
455 C O Gladstone Bldg T36661
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Aim Recycling
Toxics Release Inventory · TRI_Offsite_1443

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Greenville, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Greenville — Toxics Release Inventory (22 sites) and Underground Storage Tanks (174 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

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

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Greenville

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 Greenville average

Your land is one point inside Greenville

Everything above resolves to Greenville as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 21K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Hunt 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 Greenville Average

Greenville Average

  • USDA Zones 8b, averaged across Greenville
  • One soil character for all of Greenville
  • Frost dates read at Greenville's scale: Feb 23 to Nov 27

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Greenville

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Greenville averages 277Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Greenville

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 Hunt 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 Greenville

When does frost risk typically end in Greenville?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Greenville typically lands around Feb 23, 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 16.

When is the first frost in Greenville?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Greenville 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 277 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Greenville?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Greenville sees about 277 frost-free days — roughly Feb 23 through Nov 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 16 to Nov 13, about 242 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Greenville?

The federal record around Greenville is a meaningful one — 220 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (174), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 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 Greenville?

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 Greenville's scale — its 8b band and its 277-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Greenville'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 Greenville’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Greenville's own scale — the 20,664 acres it covers and 220 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Greenville's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 220 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Greenville, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Greenville's boundary and the 20,664 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8b and a ~277-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Greenville's own centroid, the Texas Blackland PrairiesUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Greenville has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Hunt County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Greenville's 20,664 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Hunt County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Hunt 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 Hunt County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Greenville's 20,664 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Greenville you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 20,664 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 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 Greenville-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address