Gatesville, TX 76599 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Gatesville, TX?
Around 03/15 is the usual last spring frost, about 199 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/18, about 247 frost-free days later.
Gatesville sits in USDA Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 12 weeks of growing season left in Gatesville before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
03/15 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/25 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/01 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gatesville compares
Gatesville's growing season runs about 247 days, ranking 7,809 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within TX, it ranks 1,761 of 2,558.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Gatesville can differ from the 76599 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Gatesville's frost date answer different questions.