What Grows in Laguna Seca, Texas

USDA Zones 10a · 1K acres

Laguna Seca, Texas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 10a — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

Well-matched crops include okra, meyer lemon, california poppy, and artichoke, 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 Laguna Seca, 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 Laguna Seca 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 Laguna Seca — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Laguna Seca — the short answer

Laguna Seca, Texas: USDA zone 10a, about 341 days between hard freezes, across 1K acres of town.

USDA zone
10a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Jan 16
Hidalgo County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 23
Hidalgo County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~341
Hidalgo County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town 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 Hidalgo County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

10a10a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 10a is Laguna Seca's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Laguna Seca's 341-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Laguna Seca

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

Season length

From county records

Laguna Seca runs about 341 days between hard freezes (read from Hidalgo County, the closest normal to Laguna Seca) — 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

Laguna Seca sits in USDA hardiness zone 10a.

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 Laguna Seca is in

Laguna Seca sits in the Western Gulf Coastal Plain — EPA Level III, inside the wider Great Plains. That is read at Laguna Seca's own centroid rather than borrowed from Hidalgo County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Laguna Seca

Every plant below cleared Laguna Seca's own zone 10a and its 341-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

okra, photograph
Growing okra in TexasZones 2–12Laguna Seca's 341 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Meyer lemon, photograph
Texas meyer lemon guideZones 9–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Laguna Seca's 10a — 4 zones of cold margin.
artichoke, photograph
Artichoke: Texas growing notesZones 7–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 3 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Growing avocado in TexasZones 9–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
basil, photograph
Texas basil guideZones 10–11Laguna Seca's 341 days clear the ~80 it needs.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage in TexasZones 2–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 8 zones of cold margin.
banana, photograph
Banana: Texas growing notesZones 9–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Growing rosemary in TexasZones 8–10Laguna Seca's 10a — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Texas collard greens guideZones 2–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 8 zones of cold margin.
citrus, photograph
Citrus in TexasZones 9–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Kale: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 8 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in TexasZones 2–11Laguna Seca's 341 days clear the ~70 it needs.
potato, photograph
Texas potato guideZones 2–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 8 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in TexasZones 3–11Laguna Seca's 341 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Laguna Seca's 10a — 7 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Laguna Seca's 341 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 5 zones of cold margin.
bougainvillea, photograph
Bougainvillea in TexasZones 9–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
lantana, photograph
Lantana: Texas growing notesZones 10–11Laguna Seca's 10a is its exact cold limit.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasLaguna Seca's 341 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 5 zones of cold margin.
jasmine, photograph
Jasmine in TexasZones 9–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 5 zones of cold margin.
moringa, photograph
Growing moringa in TexasZones 9–12Laguna Seca's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
African foxtail, photograph
Texas african foxtail guideZones 8–13Laguna Seca's 341 days clear the ~120 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 5 zones of cold margin.
palo verde, photograph
Palo verde: Texas growing notesZones 8–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Vuda blue grass, photograph
Growing vuda blue grass in TexasZones 8–13Laguna Seca's 10a — 2 zones of cold margin.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11Laguna Seca's 10a — 5 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Laguna Seca?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. 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 16 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 23 — 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 Laguna Seca

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

  1. 7-ELEVEN STORE 40715Underground Storage Tanks · 1.1 mi
  2. LA VILLA ISDUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  3. KINGS PIT STOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  4. ONE STOP FOOD SHOPSUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.2 mi
  5. MY T QUICK MARTUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.4 mi
  6. KOKO LOKO NEIGHBORHOOD STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.4 mi
  7. VALLEY QUICK STOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.9 mi
  8. FAMILY DOLLAR #6477Brownfields · 3.1 mi
  9. FAMILY DOLLAR #4588Brownfields · 3.4 mi
  10. TETLP - LAUNCHER LN 16-B MP 0.0 MERCEDESBrownfields · 3.5 mi
  11. ELSA MOTORSUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.5 mi
  12. SLICK PITTUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.8 mi

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

Measured from Laguna Seca'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 Laguna Seca.

Total Sites

220

within ~10 miles of Laguna Seca

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

2 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Laguna Seca

High3Moderate88Low129

Highest-Severity Sites

City of Elsa
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
City of Mercedes
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
6TH Street Market
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
7-Eleven Store 40611
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
7-Eleven Store 40612
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Laguna Seca, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Laguna Seca — PFAS (3 sites) and Underground Storage Tanks (177 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

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

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

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Laguna Seca

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 Laguna Seca average

Your land is one point inside Laguna Seca

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

Laguna Seca Average

  • USDA Zones 10a, averaged across Laguna Seca
  • One soil character for all of Laguna Seca
  • Frost dates read at Laguna Seca's scale: Jan 16 to Dec 23

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Laguna Seca's 10a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Laguna Seca

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Laguna Seca averages 341Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Laguna Seca

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 Hidalgo 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 Laguna Seca

When does frost risk typically end in Laguna Seca?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Laguna Seca typically lands around Jan 16, 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 6.

When is the first frost in Laguna Seca?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Laguna Seca typically arrives around Dec 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Dec 9, so the watching starts about Nov 23 — about 341 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Laguna Seca?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Laguna Seca sees about 341 frost-free days — roughly Jan 16 through Dec 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Feb 6 to Dec 9, about 306 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Laguna Seca?

The federal record around Laguna Seca is a meaningful one — 220 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (177), 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 Laguna Seca?

From about Nov 23 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 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 Dec 23. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Laguna Seca's scale — its 10a band and its 341-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Laguna Seca'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 Laguna Seca’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Laguna Seca's own scale — the 1,455 acres it covers and 220 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Laguna Seca's own USDA hardiness band, zones 10aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 220 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Laguna Seca, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.1 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Laguna Seca's boundary and the 1,455 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 10a and a ~341-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Laguna Seca's own centroid, the Western Gulf Coastal PlainUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Laguna Seca has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Hidalgo County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Laguna Seca's 1,455 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Hidalgo County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Laguna Seca's 1,455 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Laguna Seca you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,455 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 Laguna Seca-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address