What Grows in Serenada, Texas

USDA Zones 8b · 1K acres

Serenada, Texas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

These conditions suit cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens — a starting list any specific site will trim or extend with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Serenada — the short answer

Serenada, Texas: USDA zone 8b, about 292 days between hard freezes, across 1K acres of town.

USDA zone
8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 13
Williamson County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 2
Williamson County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~292
Williamson 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 Williamson 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 Serenada's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Serenada's 292-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Serenada

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

Season length

From county records

Serenada runs about 292 days between hard freezes (read from Williamson County, the closest normal to Serenada) — 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

Serenada 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 Serenada is in

Serenada sits in the Cross Timbers — EPA Level III, inside the wider Great Plains. That is read at Serenada's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Williamson County is mostly Texas Blackland Prairies. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Serenada

Every plant below cleared Serenada's own zone 8b and its 292-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in TexasZones 2–11Serenada's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Texas fig guideZones 6–10Serenada's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Serenada's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Serenada's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in TexasZones 7–10Serenada's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Texas rosemary guideZones 8–10Serenada's 8b is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Kale in TexasZones 2–11Serenada's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pomegranate, photograph
Pomegranate: Texas growing notesZones 7–10Serenada's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Growing lavender in TexasZones 5–8Serenada's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Texas lentil guideZones 2–11Serenada's 292 days clear the ~70 it needs.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in TexasZones 5–10Serenada's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: Texas growing notesZones 2–12Serenada's 292 days clear the ~50 it needs.
almond, photograph
Growing almond in TexasZones 5–9Serenada's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
potato, photograph
Texas potato guideZones 2–11Serenada's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in TexasZones 3–11Serenada's 292 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Serenada's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Serenada's 292 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Serenada's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in TexasZones 3–8Serenada's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Texas growing notesZones 3–8Serenada's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasSerenada's 292 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Serenada's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in TexasZones 7–10Serenada's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Texas growing notesZones 6–8Serenada's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in TexasZones 5–11Serenada's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pearl millet, photograph
Texas pearl millet guideZones 5–11Serenada's 292 days clear the ~60 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Serenada's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Texas growing notesZones 4–10Serenada's 8b — 4 zones of cold margin.
phacelia, photograph
Growing phacelia in TexasZones 2–11Serenada's 292 days clear the ~100 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11Serenada's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Serenada?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 16; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 13 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 2 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the calendar nearly circles: cool-season crops take the winter shift, and the next window is always close.

What's on the federal record near Serenada

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

  1. ZK-58-19-104Nitrate · 1.2 mi
  2. ZK-58-19-105Nitrate · 1.6 mi
  3. CITY MARKET & GRILLUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi
  4. BERRY CREEK FOOD STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.8 mi
  5. BERRY CREEK FOOD MARTUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.3 mi
  6. GANTT AVIATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.3 mi
  7. STI INTERNATIONALToxics Release Inventory · 2.4 mi
  8. SBR PUMPING INCBrownfields · 2.4 mi
  9. R & M RENTALSUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.5 mi
  10. GEORGETOWN MUNICIPAL AIRPORTUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.5 mi
  11. CVS PHARMACY 8323Brownfields · 2.5 mi
  12. HEB 487Underground Storage Tanks · 2.5 mi

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

Measured from Serenada'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 Serenada.

Total Sites

199

within ~10 miles of Serenada

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

20 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Serenada

High2Moderate82Low115

Highest-Severity Sites

Jarrell Schwertner Wsc
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Sonterra Mud
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
7-Eleven 34250
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
7-Eleven Store 36649
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Airborn INC
Toxics Release Inventory · 7862wrbrnn35air

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Serenada, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Serenada — Toxics Release Inventory (20 sites) and Underground Storage Tanks (138 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 Serenada

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 Serenada average

Your land is one point inside Serenada

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

Serenada Average

  • USDA Zones 8b, averaged across Serenada
  • One soil character for all of Serenada
  • Frost dates read at Serenada's scale: Feb 13 to Dec 2

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Serenada

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Serenada averages 292Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Serenada

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 Williamson 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 Serenada

When does frost risk typically end in Serenada?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Serenada typically lands around Feb 13, 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 6.

When is the first frost in Serenada?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Serenada typically arrives around Dec 2, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 18, so the watching starts about Nov 2 — about 292 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Serenada?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Serenada sees about 292 frost-free days — roughly Feb 13 through Dec 2, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 6 to Nov 18, about 257 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Serenada?

The federal record around Serenada shows 199 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (138), the nearest Nitrate record about 1.2 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 Serenada?

From about Nov 2 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 2 (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 2. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Serenada's scale — its 8b band and its 292-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Serenada'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 Serenada’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Serenada's own scale — the 1,379 acres it covers and 199 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Serenada's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 199 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Serenada, the closest Nitrate record about 1.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Serenada's boundary and the 1,379 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8b and a ~292-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Serenada sits in the Cross Timbers — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Serenada has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Williamson County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Serenada's 1,379 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Williamson County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Williamson 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 Williamson County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Serenada's 1,379 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Serenada you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,379 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Nitrate record about 1.2 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 Serenada-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address