Austin, TX · zone 8b · ~265 frost-free days
When to plant in Austin: frost dates and zone 8b.
In Austin, the typical last spring frost lands around Mar 3 and the first fall frost around Nov 23, giving you about 265 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Austin, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Jan 27 to Mar 29 | Mar 10 to May 10 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Jan 24 to Mar 10 | Sep 9 to Nov 8 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 24 to Feb 26 | Aug 28 to Sep 23 |
| Bush Bean | — | Mar 3 to Apr 23 | Aug 9 to Sep 11 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Mar 10 to Jun 9 | Jul 23 to Aug 23 |
| Pepper, bell | Feb 5 to Mar 29 | Mar 19 to May 10 | — |
| Kale | Dec 13 to Jan 10 | Jan 24 to Feb 21 | Aug 23 to Oct 8 |
| Spinach | — | Jan 10 to Feb 21 | Sep 9 to Oct 28 |
Austin sits in Zone 8b, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Austin garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 78701 in about 60 seconds.
Austin planting questions
What planting zone is Austin, TX?+
Austin is in USDA hardiness zone 8b. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 8b here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Austin?+
The typical last spring frost in Austin, TX is around Mar 3. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Austin?+
The typical first fall frost in Austin, TX arrives around Nov 23, closing a growing season of roughly 265 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Austin?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Mar 3. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.