What Grows in La Moca Ranch, Texas

USDA Zones 9b · 10K acres

La Moca Ranch, Texas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

These conditions suit okra, meyer lemon, california poppy, and artichoke — a starting list any specific site will trim or extend with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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La Moca Ranch — the short answer

La Moca Ranch, Texas: USDA zone 9b, about 326 days between hard freezes, across 10K acres of town.

USDA zone
9b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Jan 25
Webb County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 17
Webb County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~326
Webb County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
10K 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 Webb County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

9b9b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 9b is La Moca Ranch's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against La Moca Ranch's 326-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in La Moca Ranch

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

Season length

From county records

La Moca Ranch runs about 326 days between hard freezes (read from Webb County, the closest normal to La Moca Ranch) — 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

La Moca Ranch sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b.

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 La Moca Ranch is in

La Moca Ranch sits in the Southern Texas Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Great Plains. That is read at La Moca Ranch's own centroid rather than borrowed from Webb County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in La Moca Ranch

Every plant below cleared La Moca Ranch's own zone 9b and its 326-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

okra, photograph
Growing okra in TexasZones 2–12La Moca Ranch's 326 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Meyer lemon, photograph
Texas meyer lemon guideZones 9–11La Moca Ranch's 9b is its exact cold limit.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10La Moca Ranch's 9b — 3 zones of cold margin.
artichoke, photograph
Artichoke: Texas growing notesZones 7–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Growing avocado in TexasZones 9–11La Moca Ranch's 9b is its exact cold limit.
rosemary, photograph
Texas rosemary guideZones 8–10La Moca Ranch's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage in TexasZones 2–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
banana, photograph
Banana: Texas growing notesZones 9–11La Moca Ranch's 9b is its exact cold limit.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in TexasLa Moca Ranch's 326 days clear the ~90 it needs.
collard greens, photograph
Texas collard greens guideZones 2–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Kale in TexasZones 2–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Texas growing notesZones 2–11La Moca Ranch's 326 days clear the ~70 it needs.
potato, photograph
Growing potato in TexasZones 2–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 7 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Texas pumpkin guideZones 3–11La Moca Ranch's 326 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in TexasZones 2–11La Moca Ranch's 326 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10La Moca Ranch's 9b — 6 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11La Moca Ranch's 326 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in TexasZones 7–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
agave, photograph
Agave: Texas growing notesZones 8–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasLa Moca Ranch's 326 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10La Moca Ranch's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: Texas growing notesZones 5–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
palo verde, photograph
Growing palo verde in TexasZones 8–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 1 zone of cold margin.
jungle rice, photograph
Texas jungle rice guideZones 7–13La Moca Ranch's 326 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: Texas growing notesZones 5–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.
lablab, photograph
Growing lablab in TexasZones 7–13La Moca Ranch's 9b — 2 zones of cold margin.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11La Moca Ranch's 9b — 4 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in La Moca Ranch?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 1; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Jan 25 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 17 — 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 La Moca Ranch

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

  1. YZ-85-12-301Nitrate · 2.6 mi
  2. EL VAQUERO PIT STOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  3. REVEILLE CRYOGENIC PLANTToxics Release Inventory · 6.2 mi
  4. TEXAS DEPT OF PUBLIC SAFETYUnderground Storage Tanks · 7.0 mi
  5. YZ-85-13-301Nitrate · 7.2 mi
  6. YZ-85-04-401Nitrate · 7.4 mi
  7. YZ-85-13-501Nitrate · 7.8 mi
  8. YZ-85-03-905Nitrate · 7.8 mi
  9. SOS COUNTRY STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 8.3 mi
  10. YZ-85-13-801Nitrate · 9.5 mi

Measured from La Moca Ranch'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 La Moca Ranch.

Total Sites

16

within ~10 miles of La Moca Ranch

Risk Level

Low

Highest-severity

1 Toxics Release Inventory facility

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of La Moca Ranch

High0Moderate15Low1

Highest-Severity Sites

El Vaquero Pit Stop
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Reveille Cryogenic Plant
Toxics Release Inventory · 7804wrvllc826ca
Sos Country Store
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Yz-85-03-905
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
Yz-85-03-905
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

Know Before You Grow

  • On a private well, test for nitrates: above 10 mg/L the water needs treatment before irrigating.
  • Underground tanks leak petroleum as they age — near a former filling station, test the soil.
  • TRI facilities report what they release. Check the wind — downwind beds catch more of it.
Free Report

Check your specific parcel in La Moca Ranch

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 La Moca Ranch average

Your land is one point inside La Moca Ranch

Everything above resolves to La Moca Ranch as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 10K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Webb 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 La Moca Ranch Average

La Moca Ranch Average

  • USDA Zones 9b, averaged across La Moca Ranch
  • One soil character for all of La Moca Ranch
  • Frost dates read at La Moca Ranch's scale: Jan 25 to Dec 17

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not La Moca Ranch's 9b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in La Moca Ranch

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

Three things about your lot that La Moca Ranch averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — La Moca Ranch averages 326Your sun & shade

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

25+ data sources read at your address, not the La Moca Ranch average

How we know this about La Moca Ranch

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 Webb 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 La Moca Ranch

When does frost risk typically end in La Moca Ranch?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in La Moca Ranch typically lands around Jan 25, 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 Feb 15.

When is the first frost in La Moca Ranch?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in La Moca Ranch typically arrives around Dec 17, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Dec 3, so the watching starts about Nov 17 — about 326 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in La Moca Ranch?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, La Moca Ranch sees about 326 frost-free days — roughly Jan 25 through Dec 17, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Feb 15 to Dec 3, about 291 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in La Moca Ranch?

The federal record around La Moca Ranch is light — 16 documented sites across the 9 federal source types we checked, mostly Nitrate entries (12), the nearest Nitrate record about 2.6 miles out — and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. Growing food here starts from a strong position; a soil test before new food beds settles any site-specific question.

How do I protect my plants from frost in La Moca Ranch?

From about Nov 17 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 17 (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 17. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at La Moca Ranch's scale — its 9b band and its 326-day season. Your yard writes its own version of La Moca Ranch'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 La Moca Ranch’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at La Moca Ranch's own scale — the 9,630 acres it covers and 16 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • La Moca Ranch's own USDA hardiness band, zones 9bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 16 documented contamination sites on the federal record near La Moca Ranch, the closest Nitrate record about 2.6 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • La Moca Ranch's boundary and the 9,630 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 9b and a ~326-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at La Moca Ranch's own centroid, the Southern Texas PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — La Moca Ranch has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Webb County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so La Moca Ranch's 9,630 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Webb County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Webb 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 Webb County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among La Moca Ranch's 9,630 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of La Moca Ranch you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 9,630 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Nitrate record about 2.6 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 La Moca Ranch-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address