What Grows in Villa del Sol, Texas

USDA Zones 10a · 121 acres

Villa del Sol, Texas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 10a — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

On paper, okra, meyer lemon, california poppy, and artichoke all suit these conditions — on the ground, soil, sun, and drainage make the final call.

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

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Villa del Sol — the short answer

Villa del Sol, Texas: USDA zone 10a, about 335 days between hard freezes, across 121 acres of town.

USDA zone
10a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Jan 22
Cameron County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 23
Cameron County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~335
Cameron County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
121 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 Cameron 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 Villa del Sol's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Villa del Sol's 335-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Villa del Sol

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

Season length

From county records

Villa del Sol runs about 335 days between hard freezes (read from Cameron County, the closest normal to Villa del Sol) — 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

Villa del Sol 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 Villa del Sol is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Villa del Sol

Every plant below cleared Villa del Sol's own zone 10a and its 335-day season. Each card opens that plant's Texas profile. How we score.

okra, photograph
Growing okra in TexasZones 2–12Villa del Sol's 335 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Meyer lemon, photograph
Texas meyer lemon guideZones 9–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TexasZones 6–10Villa del Sol's 10a — 4 zones of cold margin.
artichoke, photograph
Artichoke: Texas growing notesZones 7–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 3 zones of cold margin.
avocado, photograph
Growing avocado in TexasZones 9–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
basil, photograph
Texas basil guideZones 10–11Villa del Sol's 335 days clear the ~80 it needs.
cabbage, photograph
Cabbage in TexasZones 2–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 8 zones of cold margin.
banana, photograph
Banana: Texas growing notesZones 9–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Growing rosemary in TexasZones 8–10Villa del Sol's 10a — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Texas collard greens guideZones 2–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 8 zones of cold margin.
citrus, photograph
Citrus in TexasZones 9–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Kale: Texas growing notesZones 2–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 8 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in TexasZones 2–11Villa del Sol's 335 days clear the ~70 it needs.
potato, photograph
Texas potato guideZones 2–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 8 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in TexasZones 3–11Villa del Sol's 335 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Texas growing notesZones 3–10Villa del Sol's 10a — 7 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TexasZones 2–11Villa del Sol's 335 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Texas apache plume guideZones 5–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 5 zones of cold margin.
bougainvillea, photograph
Bougainvillea in TexasZones 9–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
lantana, photograph
Lantana: Texas growing notesZones 10–11Villa del Sol's 10a is its exact cold limit.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TexasVilla del Sol's 335 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Texas holly guideZones 5–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 5 zones of cold margin.
jasmine, photograph
Jasmine in TexasZones 9–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
mountain laurel, photograph
Mountain laurel: Texas growing notesZones 5–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 5 zones of cold margin.
moringa, photograph
Growing moringa in TexasZones 9–12Villa del Sol's 10a — 1 zone of cold margin.
African foxtail, photograph
Texas african foxtail guideZones 8–13Villa del Sol's 335 days clear the ~120 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in TexasZones 5–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 5 zones of cold margin.
palo verde, photograph
Palo verde: Texas growing notesZones 8–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Vuda blue grass, photograph
Growing vuda blue grass in TexasZones 8–13Villa del Sol's 10a — 2 zones of cold margin.
liriope, photograph
Texas liriope guideZones 5–11Villa del Sol's 10a — 5 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Villa del Sol?

Too late for some crops, right on time for others — a growing season is a sequence, not a deadline. 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 22 (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. 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 Villa del Sol

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

  1. TITAN FUEL TERMINALS HARLINGEN, LLCToxics Release Inventory · 1.2 mi
  2. TITAN FUEL TERMINALS HARLINGENBrownfields · 1.2 mi
  3. TITAN FUEL TERMINALSToxics Release Inventory · 1.4 mi
  4. HARLINGEN REFINED PRODUCTS TERMINALToxics Release Inventory · 1.4 mi
  5. SOUTH TEXAS CHLORINE, INC.Toxics Release Inventory · 1.6 mi
  6. TITAN FUEL TERMINALS HARLINGEN GASOLINE TERMINALToxics Release Inventory · 1.9 mi
  7. FRUIT OF THE LOOM TEXAS INCToxics Release Inventory · 2.3 mi
  8. CARDONE INDUSTRIESBrownfields · 2.3 mi
  9. TYCO VALVES & CONTROLS HARLINGENBrownfields · 2.3 mi
  10. TYCO VALVES & CONTROLS HARLINGENToxics Release Inventory · 2.3 mi
  11. WILBUR ELLIS COMPANYToxics Release Inventory · 2.3 mi
  12. PENN ALUMINUM INTERNATIONALBrownfields · 2.7 mi

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

Measured from Villa del Sol'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 Villa del Sol.

Total Sites

497

within ~10 miles of Villa del Sol

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Villa del Sol

High2Moderate132Low363

Highest-Severity Sites

City of San Benito
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
East Rio Hondo Wsc
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
100 Quick Stop
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
506 Grocery
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
508 Kountry Korner
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Villa del Sol, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 402 sites within ~10 miles of Villa del Sol. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Villa del Sol

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 Villa del Sol average

Your land is one point inside Villa del Sol

Everything above resolves to Villa del Sol as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 121 acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Cameron 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 Villa del Sol Average

Villa del Sol Average

  • USDA Zones 10a, averaged across Villa del Sol
  • One soil character for all of Villa del Sol
  • Frost dates read at Villa del Sol's scale: Jan 22 to Dec 23

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Villa del Sol

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

Three things about your lot that Villa del Sol averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Villa del Sol averages 335Your sun & shade

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

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Villa del Sol average

How we know this about Villa del Sol

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 Cameron 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 Villa del Sol

When does frost risk typically end in Villa del Sol?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Villa del Sol typically lands around Jan 22, 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 12.

When is the first frost in Villa del Sol?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Villa del Sol 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 335 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Villa del Sol?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Villa del Sol sees about 335 frost-free days — roughly Jan 22 through Dec 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Feb 12 to Dec 9, about 300 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Villa del Sol?

The federal record around Villa del Sol is a meaningful one — 497 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (402), the nearest Toxics Release Inventory record about 1.2 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 Villa del Sol?

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 Villa del Sol's scale — its 10a band and its 335-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Villa del Sol'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 Villa del Sol’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Villa del Sol's own scale — the 121 acres it covers and 497 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Villa del Sol's own USDA hardiness band, zones 10aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 497 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Villa del Sol, the closest Toxics Release Inventory record about 1.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Villa del Sol's boundary and the 121 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 10a and a ~335-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Villa del Sol's own centroid, the Western Gulf Coastal PlainUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Villa del Sol has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Cameron County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Villa del Sol's 121 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Cameron County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Cameron 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 Cameron County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Villa del Sol's 121 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Villa del Sol you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 121 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Toxics Release Inventory 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 Villa del Sol-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address