Fort Worth, TX · zone 8a · ~258 frost-free days
When to plant in Fort Worth: frost dates and zone 8a.
In Fort Worth, the typical last spring frost lands around Mar 8 and the first fall frost around Nov 21, giving you about 258 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 Fort Worth, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Feb 1 to Apr 3 | Mar 15 to May 15 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Jan 29 to Mar 15 | Sep 7 to Nov 6 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 29 to Mar 3 | Aug 26 to Sep 21 |
| Bush Bean | — | Mar 8 to Apr 28 | Aug 7 to Sep 9 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Mar 15 to Jun 14 | Jul 21 to Aug 21 |
| Pepper, bell | Feb 10 to Apr 3 | Mar 24 to May 15 | — |
| Kale | Dec 18 to Jan 15 | Jan 29 to Feb 26 | Aug 21 to Oct 6 |
| Spinach | — | Jan 15 to Feb 26 | Sep 7 to Oct 26 |
Fort Worth sits in Zone 8a, 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 Fort Worth 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 76102 in about 60 seconds.
Fort Worth planting questions
What planting zone is Fort Worth, TX?+
Fort Worth is in USDA hardiness zone 8a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 8a 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 Fort Worth?+
The typical last spring frost in Fort Worth, TX is around Mar 8. 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 Fort Worth?+
The typical first fall frost in Fort Worth, TX arrives around Nov 21, closing a growing season of roughly 258 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Fort Worth?+
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 8. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.