What Grows in Hideaway, Texas

USDA Zones 8b · 1K acres

Hideaway, Texas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

Crops well matched to these conditions include cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Hideaway — the short answer

Hideaway, Texas: USDA zone 8b, about 286 days between hard freezes, across 1K acres of city.

USDA zone
8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 18
Smith County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 1
Smith County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~286
Smith 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 Smith 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 Hideaway's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Hideaway's 286-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Hideaway

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

Season length

From county records

Hideaway runs about 286 days between hard freezes (read from Smith County, the closest normal to Hideaway) — 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

Hideaway 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 Hideaway is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Hideaway

Every plant below cleared Hideaway's own zone 8b and its 286-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in TexasZones 2–11Hideaway's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Texas fig guideZones 6–10Hideaway's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Hideaway's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Hideaway's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in TexasZones 7–10Hideaway's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Texas rosemary guideZones 8–10Hideaway's 8b is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Kale in TexasZones 2–11Hideaway's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pomegranate, photograph
Pomegranate: Texas growing notesZones 7–10Hideaway's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Growing lavender in TexasZones 5–8Hideaway's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Texas lentil guideZones 2–11Hideaway's 286 days clear the ~70 it needs.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in TexasZones 5–10Hideaway's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: Texas growing notesZones 2–12Hideaway's 286 days clear the ~50 it needs.
almond, photograph
Growing almond in TexasZones 5–9Hideaway's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
potato, photograph
Texas potato guideZones 2–11Hideaway's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in TexasZones 3–11Hideaway's 286 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Hideaway's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Hideaway's 286 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Hideaway's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in TexasZones 3–8Hideaway's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Texas growing notesZones 3–8Hideaway's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasHideaway's 286 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Hideaway's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10Hideaway's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Texas growing notesZones 6–8Hideaway's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in TexasZones 5–11Hideaway's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pearl millet, photograph
Texas pearl millet guideZones 5–11Hideaway's 286 days clear the ~60 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Hideaway's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Texas growing notesZones 4–10Hideaway's 8b — 4 zones of cold margin.
phacelia, photograph
Growing phacelia in TexasZones 2–11Hideaway's 286 days clear the ~100 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11Hideaway's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Hideaway?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 21; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 18 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 1 — 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 Hideaway

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

  1. HIDE-A-WAY CLUB MARINAUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  2. KIDD JONES HIDEAWAYUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi
  3. FEDERAL EXPRESS ZTYLBrownfields · 2.8 mi
  4. CREWS N BUY MARTUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.0 mi
  5. VACANT STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.0 mi
  6. CVS PHARMACY 10339Brownfields · 3.0 mi
  7. BROOKSHIRE GROCERY 3Underground Storage Tanks · 3.0 mi
  8. TARGET DISTRIBUTION CENTER T0578Brownfields · 3.0 mi
  9. KIDD JONES LINDALEUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.0 mi
  10. KEN WILLIAMS EXXONUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.1 mi
  11. ALLEN CANNINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.1 mi
  12. LINDALE STATE BANKUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.1 mi

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

Measured from Hideaway'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 Hideaway.

Total Sites

59

within ~10 miles of Hideaway

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

4 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Hideaway

High0Moderate32Low27

Highest-Severity Sites

882 C O Lindale Swan Bldg T33239
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
A-Z Food Mart
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Brookshire Grocery 3
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Chevron 4041
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Crews N Buy Mart
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Hideaway, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Hideaway — PFAS (3 sites) and Toxics Release Inventory (4 sites). Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

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

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

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Hideaway

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 Hideaway average

Your land is one point inside Hideaway

Everything above resolves to Hideaway as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 1K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Smith 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 Hideaway Average

Hideaway Average

  • USDA Zones 8b, averaged across Hideaway
  • One soil character for all of Hideaway
  • Frost dates read at Hideaway's scale: Feb 18 to Dec 1

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Hideaway

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Hideaway averages 286Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Hideaway

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 Smith 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 Hideaway

When does frost risk typically end in Hideaway?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Hideaway typically lands around Feb 18, 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 11.

When is the first frost in Hideaway?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Hideaway typically arrives around Dec 1, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 17, so the watching starts about Nov 1 — about 286 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Hideaway?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Hideaway sees about 286 frost-free days — roughly Feb 18 through Dec 1, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 11 to Nov 17, about 251 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Hideaway?

The federal record around Hideaway shows 59 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (31), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.9 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 Hideaway?

From about Nov 1 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 1 (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 1. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Hideaway's scale — its 8b band and its 286-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Hideaway'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 Hideaway’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Hideaway's own scale — the 1,322 acres it covers and 59 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Hideaway's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 59 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Hideaway, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.9 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Hideaway's boundary and the 1,322 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8b and a ~286-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Hideaway's own centroid, the South Central PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Hideaway has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Smith County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Hideaway's 1,322 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Smith County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Smith 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 Smith County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Hideaway's 1,322 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Hideaway you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,322 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.9 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 Hideaway-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address