Houston, TX · zone 9a · ~325 frost-free days
When to plant in Houston: frost dates and zone 9a.
In Houston, the typical last spring frost lands around Feb 2 and the first fall frost around Dec 24, giving you about 325 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 Houston, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Dec 29 to Feb 28 | Feb 9 to Apr 11 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Dec 26 to Feb 9 | Oct 10 to Dec 9 |
| Carrot | — | Dec 26 to Jan 28 | Sep 28 to Oct 24 |
| Bush Bean | — | Feb 2 to Mar 25 | Sep 9 to Oct 12 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Feb 9 to May 11 | Aug 23 to Sep 23 |
| Pepper, bell | Jan 7 to Feb 28 | Feb 18 to Apr 11 | — |
| Kale | Nov 14 to Dec 12 | Dec 26 to Jan 23 | Sep 23 to Nov 8 |
| Spinach | — | Dec 12 to Jan 23 | Oct 10 to Nov 28 |
Houston sits in Zone 9a, 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 Houston 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 77002 in about 60 seconds.
Houston planting questions
What planting zone is Houston, TX?+
Houston is in USDA hardiness zone 9a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 9a 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 Houston?+
The typical last spring frost in Houston, TX is around Feb 2. 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 Houston?+
The typical first fall frost in Houston, TX arrives around Dec 24, closing a growing season of roughly 325 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Houston?+
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 Feb 2. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.