What Grows in Pottsboro, Texas

USDA Zones 8a · 2K acres

Pottsboro, Texas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

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 Pottsboro, 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 Pottsboro 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 Pottsboro — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Pottsboro — the short answer

Pottsboro, Texas: USDA zone 8a, about 274 days between hard freezes, across 2K acres of town.

USDA zone
8a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 27
Grayson County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 28
Grayson County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~274
Grayson 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 Grayson County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

8a8a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 8a is Pottsboro's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Pottsboro's 274-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Pottsboro

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

Season length

From county records

Pottsboro runs about 274 days between hard freezes (read from Grayson County, the closest normal to Pottsboro) — 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

Pottsboro sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a.

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 Pottsboro is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Pottsboro

Every plant below cleared Pottsboro's own zone 8a and its 274-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in TexasZones 2–11Pottsboro's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Texas fig guideZones 6–10Pottsboro's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Pottsboro's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Pottsboro's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Growing prickly pear in TexasZones 5–10Pottsboro's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Texas lavender guideZones 5–8Pottsboro's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in TexasZones 2–10Pottsboro's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
almond, photograph
Almond: Texas growing notesZones 5–9Pottsboro's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Growing rosemary in TexasZones 8–10Pottsboro's 8a is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Texas kale guideZones 2–11Pottsboro's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape in TexasZones 6–9Pottsboro's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Pottsboro's 274 days clear the ~70 it needs.
hazelnut, photograph
Growing hazelnut in TexasZones 4–9Pottsboro's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Texas okra guideZones 2–12Pottsboro's 274 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in TexasZones 2–11Pottsboro's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Pottsboro's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Pottsboro's 274 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Pottsboro's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in TexasZones 3–8Pottsboro's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Texas growing notesZones 3–8Pottsboro's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasPottsboro's 274 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Pottsboro's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10Pottsboro's 8a — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Texas growing notesZones 6–8Pottsboro's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in TexasZones 4–10Pottsboro's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Texas ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Pottsboro's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Pottsboro's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Pottsboro's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in TexasZones 5–10Pottsboro's 274 days clear the ~45 it needs.
blue grama, photograph
Texas blue grama guideZones 3–10Pottsboro's 274 days clear the ~90 it needs.

Is it too late to plant in Pottsboro?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 30; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 27 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 28 — 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 Pottsboro

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

  1. BURKS GULFUnderground Storage Tanks · 2600 ft
  2. B&P TEXCAOUnderground Storage Tanks · 2600 ft
  3. GRAB N GOUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  4. ALLSUPS 42Underground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  5. BROOKSHIRE GROCERY 127Underground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  6. POTTSBORO ISDUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  7. GRAYSON COUNTY PRECINCT 4Underground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  8. TGS THE GENERAL STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.8 mi
  9. ROGER COUNTRY STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.8 mi
  10. POTTSBORO READY MIXToxics Release Inventory · 2.0 mi
  11. RK HALL - MATERIALS & ASPHALT PLANT - DENISONToxics Release Inventory · 2.0 mi
  12. FAMILY DOLLAR #8678Brownfields · 2.1 mi

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

Measured from Pottsboro'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 Pottsboro.

Total Sites

320

within ~10 miles of Pottsboro

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

2 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Pottsboro

High2Moderate123Low195

Highest-Severity Sites

City of Sherman
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Tanglewood on Texoma
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
21ST Century Distributors
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Aaar Denison I
Toxics Release Inventory · 75020kwkst2600n
Ag Processing Incorporated
Toxics Release Inventory · 75020cnwyl1405w

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Pottsboro, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Pottsboro — Toxics Release Inventory (25 sites) and Underground Storage Tanks (247 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around 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 Pottsboro

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 Pottsboro average

Your land is one point inside Pottsboro

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

Pottsboro Average

  • USDA Zones 8a, averaged across Pottsboro
  • One soil character for all of Pottsboro
  • Frost dates read at Pottsboro's scale: Feb 27 to Nov 28

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Pottsboro

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Pottsboro averages 274Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Pottsboro

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 Grayson 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 Pottsboro

When does frost risk typically end in Pottsboro?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Pottsboro typically lands around Feb 27, 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 20.

When is the first frost in Pottsboro?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Pottsboro typically arrives around Nov 28, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 14, so the watching starts about Oct 29 — about 274 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Pottsboro?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Pottsboro sees about 274 frost-free days — roughly Feb 27 through Nov 28, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 20 to Nov 14, about 239 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Pottsboro?

The federal record around Pottsboro is a meaningful one — 320 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (247), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.5 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 Pottsboro?

From about Oct 29 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 28 (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 28. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Pottsboro's scale — its 8a band and its 274-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Pottsboro'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 Pottsboro’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Pottsboro's own scale — the 2,019 acres it covers and 320 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Pottsboro's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 320 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Pottsboro, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.5 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Pottsboro's boundary and the 2,019 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8a and a ~274-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Pottsboro's own centroid, the Texas Blackland PrairiesUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Pottsboro has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Grayson County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Pottsboro's 2,019 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Grayson County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Grayson 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 Grayson County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Pottsboro's 2,019 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Pottsboro you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 2,019 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.5 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 Pottsboro-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address