What Grows in Pleasant Hill, Texas

USDA Zones 9a · 2K acres

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

The conditions favor artichoke, fig, california poppy, and cabbage, among others — though every individual site edits that list with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

No card required · your full report in seconds

Pleasant Hill — the short answer

Pleasant Hill, Texas: USDA zone 9a, about 297 days between hard freezes, across 2K acres of town.

USDA zone
9a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 11
Polk County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 5
Polk County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~297
Polk County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
2K 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 Polk 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 Pleasant Hill's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Pleasant Hill's 297-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Pleasant Hill

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

Season length

From county records

Pleasant Hill runs about 297 days between hard freezes (read from Polk County, the closest normal to Pleasant Hill) — 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

Pleasant Hill 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 Pleasant Hill is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Pleasant Hill

Every plant below cleared Pleasant Hill's own zone 9a and its 297-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

artichoke, photograph
Growing artichoke in TexasZones 7–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Texas fig guideZones 6–10Pleasant Hill's 9a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Pleasant Hill's 9a — 3 zones of cold margin.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
Meyer lemon, photograph
Growing meyer lemon in TexasZones 9–11Pleasant Hill's 9a is its exact cold limit.
rosemary, photograph
Texas rosemary guideZones 8–10Pleasant Hill's 9a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens in TexasZones 2–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Avocado: Texas growing notesZones 9–11Pleasant Hill's 9a is its exact cold limit.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in TexasPleasant Hill's 297 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Texas kale guideZones 2–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil in TexasZones 2–11Pleasant Hill's 297 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Okra: Texas growing notesZones 2–12Pleasant Hill's 297 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Growing potato in TexasZones 2–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 7 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Texas pumpkin guideZones 3–11Pleasant Hill's 297 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in TexasZones 2–11Pleasant Hill's 297 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Pleasant Hill's 9a — 6 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Pleasant Hill's 297 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in TexasZones 7–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
barrel cactus, photograph
Barrel cactus: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasPleasant Hill's 297 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10Pleasant Hill's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in TexasZones 5–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
crab grass, photograph
Texas crab grass guideZones 7–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 2 zones of cold margin.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Texas growing notesZones 4–10Pleasant Hill's 9a — 5 zones of cold margin.
feather top Rhodes grass, photograph
Growing feather top rhodes grass in TexasZones 7–11Pleasant Hill's 297 days clear the ~90 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11Pleasant Hill's 9a — 4 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Pleasant Hill?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 14; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 11 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 5 — 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 Pleasant Hill

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

  1. GEORGES GARAGEBrownfields · 0.6 mi
  2. CORRIGAN ONE STOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  3. PIT STOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.0 mi
  4. HUGHES PETROLEUM TRUCK STOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.0 mi
  5. LOWE BROTHERSUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.0 mi
  6. CITY OF CORRIGANUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.1 mi
  7. LUCKY FOOD MARTUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.1 mi
  8. BROOKSHIRE BROTHERS 24Underground Storage Tanks · 2.1 mi
  9. DURHAM OUTDOOR EQUIPMENTBrownfields · 2.1 mi
  10. FAMILY DOLLAR #8490Brownfields · 2.1 mi
  11. GEORGIA-PACIFIC WOOD PRODUCTS SOUTHToxics Release Inventory · 2.2 mi
  12. GEORGIA-PACIFIC WOOD PRODUCTS SOUTHBrownfields · 2.2 mi

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

Measured from Pleasant Hill'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 Pleasant Hill.

Total Sites

33

within ~10 miles of Pleasant Hill

Risk Level

Low

Highest-severity

4 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Pleasant Hill

High0Moderate18Low15

Highest-Severity Sites

7-Eleven Store 41037
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Big Bens
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Bigs 3809
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Brookshire Brothers 24
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Camden Plywood & Lumber
Toxics Release Inventory · 75934CHMPNFARMR

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Pleasant Hill, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 4 sites within ~10 miles of Pleasant Hill. 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.

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Pleasant Hill

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 Pleasant Hill average

Your land is one point inside Pleasant Hill

Everything above resolves to Pleasant Hill as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 2K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Polk 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 Pleasant Hill Average

Pleasant Hill Average

  • USDA Zones 9a, averaged across Pleasant Hill
  • One soil character for all of Pleasant Hill
  • Frost dates read at Pleasant Hill's scale: Feb 11 to Dec 5

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Pleasant Hill

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Pleasant Hill averages 297Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Pleasant Hill

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 Polk 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 Pleasant Hill

When does frost risk typically end in Pleasant Hill?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Pleasant Hill typically lands around Feb 11, 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 4.

When is the first frost in Pleasant Hill?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Pleasant Hill typically arrives around Dec 5, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 21, so the watching starts about Nov 5 — about 297 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Pleasant Hill?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Pleasant Hill sees about 297 frost-free days — roughly Feb 11 through Dec 5, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 4 to Nov 21, about 262 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Pleasant Hill?

The federal record around Pleasant Hill is light — 33 documented sites across the 9 federal source types we checked, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (15), the nearest Brownfields record about 0.6 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 Pleasant Hill?

From about Nov 5 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 5 (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 5. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Pleasant Hill's scale — its 9a band and its 297-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Pleasant Hill'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 Pleasant Hill’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Pleasant Hill's own scale — the 1,695 acres it covers and 33 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Pleasant Hill's own USDA hardiness band, zones 9aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 33 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Pleasant Hill, the closest Brownfields record about 0.6 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Pleasant Hill's boundary and the 1,695 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 9a and a ~297-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Pleasant Hill's own centroid, the South Central PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Pleasant Hill has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Polk County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Pleasant Hill's 1,695 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Polk County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Polk 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 Polk County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Pleasant Hill's 1,695 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Pleasant Hill you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,695 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields record about 0.6 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 Pleasant Hill-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address