GreenlyFrost dates and when to plant in Texas
United States
In Texas the last spring frost comes between 19 January (Brownsville) and 6 April (Amarillo) — the median of 2016–2025 in 10 cities. The first autumn frost comes between 4 November (Amarillo) and 23 December (Brownsville). The frost-free season lasts 212–338 days. Tomato: plant out into open ground 26 January – 2 September, earliest in Brownsville, latest in Corpus Christi.
Frost dates by city in Texas
| City | Last spring frost | First autumn frost | Frost-free days | Climate zone | Tomato: window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville | 19 January | 23 December | 338 | 270 frost-free days or more | 26 January – 2 September |
| Corpus Christi | 27 January | 23 December | 330 | 270 frost-free days or more | 3 February – 2 September |
| San Antonio | 10 February | 5 December | 298 | 270 frost-free days or more | 17 February – 15 August |
| Houston | 17 February | 27 November | 283 | 270 frost-free days or more | 24 February – 7 August |
| Austin | 19 February | 13 December | 297 | 270 frost-free days or more | 26 February – 23 August |
| Dallas | 19 February | 5 December | 289 | 270 frost-free days or more | 28 February – 15 August |
| Fort Worth | 19 February | 30 November | 284 | 270 frost-free days or more | 1 March – 10 August |
| El Paso | 28 February | 5 December | 280 | 270 frost-free days or more | 7 March – 15 August |
| Lubbock | 29 March | 16 November | 232 | 210–269 frost-free days | 5 April – 27 July |
| Amarillo | 6 April | 4 November | 212 | 210–269 frost-free days | 13 April – 15 July |
Median of 2016–2025 for the 25 km grid cell of the city: the last day at or below 0 °C in spring and the first in autumn (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo). In a cold year a frost can come a week or two later — Greenly warns 48 hours ahead.
When to plant in Texas: windows by crop
The earliest start and the latest end among the cities here, each with its city; every city’s own window is on its page. Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.
| Crop | Planting out or sowing |
|---|---|
| Tomato, Bell Pepper, Eggplant | 26 January (Brownsville) – 2 September (Corpus Christi) |
| Cucumber | 26 January (Brownsville) – 8 October (Corpus Christi) |
| Zucchini | 26 January (Brownsville) – 6 October (Corpus Christi) |
| Pumpkin | 26 January (Brownsville) – 28 August (Corpus Christi) |
| Watermelon | 26 January (Brownsville) – 13 September (Corpus Christi) |
| Peas | 29 December (Brownsville) – 10 October (Corpus Christi) |
| Garlic | Autumn planting: 5 October (Amarillo) – end of December (El Paso) |
| Tulip, Daffodil, Crocus, Hyacinth | Autumn planting: by 5 November (Dallas) |
Weather by month in Texas
Across the 10 cities the warmest month is July (average days 32.5 … 36.3 °C) and the coldest January (average nights -1.9 … 13.3 °C). 2 of the 10 cities have months with nights below 0 °C on average; the longest such winter is in Amarillo (January, February).
| Month | Day, °C | Night, °C | Rain, mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10.4 … 21.9 °C | -1.9 … 13.3 °C | 59 |
| February | 13.9 … 24 °C | -0.5 … 14.8 °C | 49 |
| March | 19.4 … 26.9 °C | 4.6 … 18.3 °C | 73 |
| April | 23 … 29.2 °C | 8.3 … 20.7 °C | 84 |
| May | 27.2 … 32 °C | 13.3 … 23.8 °C | 133 |
| June | 31.7 … 36.5 °C | 19.1 … 25.5 °C | 97 |
| July | 32.5 … 36.3 °C | 21.5 … 26.1 °C | 79 |
| August | 32.8 … 35.5 °C | 20.9 … 26.3 °C | 86 |
| September | 29.4 … 32.4 °C | 17.1 … 24.8 °C | 101 |
| October | 23.4 … 30 °C | 10.4 … 21.4 °C | 73 |
| November | 16.9 … 26.2 °C | 4.4 … 17.9 °C | 69 |
| December | 12.9 … 23.8 °C | 0.5 … 15.3 °C | 56 |
Day and night: the lowest … highest monthly average among the cities; rain: the middle city (ERA5 via Open-Meteo).
What to plant month by month: Texas
Other regions: United States
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More about the United States
- Gardening in the United States: climate zones and crops by region
- United States: frost dates by city
- When to plant tomatoes in the United States
- When to plant cucumbers in the United States
- When to plant bell peppers in the United States
- When to plant peas in the United States
- When to plant garlic in the United States
- Gardening by country
