What to plant in March in Texas

Worked out for 10 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in March in Texas, by zone: frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F (Houston, Austin and 5 more): tomato, bell pepper, zucchini, green beans, cucumber and 21 more; frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F (Dallas): peas, beet, zucchini, green beans, cucumber and 22 more; frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F (Lubbock and Amarillo): peas, lettuce, radish, Swiss chard, beet and 30 more.

In Texas, March is spring.

Frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F: Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth and 3 more

In March, on average, these cities have highs of 72 to 80 °F and lows of 46 to 65 °F, 0.4 to 5.2 in of rain on 2 to 14 days; the day lasts 11 h 56 min to 11 h 59 min (on the 15th).

No frost in March in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
sow direct	Peas, beet, parsley, cilantro, chamomile, dill, mustard greens	Houston and Fort Worth
start indoors, plant out in May	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper	Houston, Austin, Corpus Christi and 1 more
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in April	Zucchini, basil	all
sow direct	Green Beans, arugula	Houston, Austin, San Antonio and 3 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Cucumber	all
start indoors, plant out in April	Melon, achocha	Houston, Austin, San Antonio and 3 more
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in April	Watermelon, pumpkin, luffa, okra, peanut	Houston, Austin, San Antonio and 3 more
sow direct	Sweet Corn, bok choy, borage, chayote, corn, Florence fennel, kiwano, Napa cabbage	all
sow direct	Soybean	Houston, Austin, San Antonio and 2 more
start indoors, plant out in May or sow direct	Moringa	Houston, Austin, Corpus Christi and 1 more
start indoors, plant out in June	Celeriac, celery	Houston, Corpus Christi and Brownsville

Compared with February: no longer sown — broad bean, onion, lettuce, radish, cabbage, Swiss chard, chickpea, kohlrabi and 1 more.

Not starting in March: lettuce (November, sown direct) and spinach (November, started indoors) — dates for Austin.

Ready to harvest in March in Austin, if sown in the right month: broad bean (December), peas (January), spinach (January), lettuce (January), radish (February), cabbage (November), broccoli (December) and Swiss chard (January).

Frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F: Dallas

In March, on average, Dallas has highs of 71 °F and lows of 52 °F, 4.4 in of rain on 11 days; the day lasts 11 h 56 min (on the 15th).

No frost in March in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
sow direct	Peas, beet, green beans, sweet corn, parsley, cilantro, arugula, bok choy, borage, chamomile, chayote, corn, dill, Florence fennel, kiwano, mustard greens, Napa cabbage	Dallas
start indoors, plant out in April	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, basil, achocha, luffa, okra, peanut	Dallas

Compared with February: new — green beans, borage, chayote and corn; no longer sown — broad bean, onion, lettuce, radish, cabbage, Swiss chard, tomato, bell pepper and 6 more.

Not starting in March: tomato (June, started indoors), bell pepper (June, started indoors), lettuce (November, sown direct) and spinach (November, sown direct) — dates for Dallas.

Ready to harvest in March in Dallas, if sown in the right month: broad bean (December), peas (January), spinach (January), lettuce (January), radish (February), carrot (January), cabbage (November) and broccoli (December).

Frost dates in Dallas

Frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F: Lubbock and Amarillo

In March, on average, these cities have highs of 67 to 71 °F and lows of 40 to 44 °F, 0.9 to 1.1 in of rain on 3 to 5 days; the day lasts 11 h 56 min (on the 15th). A dry month: whatever is sown needs watering.

March falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average last frost: Lubbock (March 29).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Peas, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, dill, mustard greens	all
sow direct	Lettuce, radish, Swiss chard, kohlrabi	Amarillo
start indoors, plant out in May	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in April	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, achocha, bok choy, kiwano, luffa, Napa cabbage, okra, peanut	Lubbock
start indoors, plant out in June	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all

Compared with February: new — zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, parsley, cilantro and 8 more; no longer sown — broad bean, onion, spinach, cabbage, shallot, daikon, kale and parsnip.

Not starting in March: green beans (May, sown direct) and spinach (October, started indoors) — dates for Amarillo.

Ready to harvest in March in Amarillo, if sown in the right month: broad bean (December), peas (January), radish (February), cabbage (November), arugula (February) and parsnip (December).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in March and the months after (highs, lows and rain for 2016–2025, ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo) and its average frost dates. A crop starts in March if the month's mean temperature reaches the minimum soil temperature for germination on its card (we use the mean air temperature as a stand-in for the soil's) and if, over its first months (up to three), the average highs stay within its group's range, with no frost for crops that cannot take it. Crops started indoors count from the month they are planted out.

Temperature groups from Colorado State University Extension: cool-season crops prefer 60–80 °F and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 40 °F, semi-hardy ones from 40–50 °F (we use 50 °F); warm-season crops need days above 55 °F, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, eggplant, melon, watermelon, squash) above 60 °F, up to 95 °F. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Fava (broad) beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in fall and overwinter (RHS). Garlic and bulbs: a month before the first frost, and later only while the ground is not frozen (as on each city's page).

This is a general rule from averages: your garden can be a week or two earlier or later, and a greenhouse or a cold frame brings the season forward. Greenly works out the dates for your location.