Houston, TX 77231 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Houston, TX?
Around 02/13 is the usual last spring frost, about 169 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/09, about 300 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Houston in Zone 9b (25 to 30°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 15 weeks of growing season left in Houston 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
02/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/12 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Houston compares
Houston's growing season runs about 300 days, ranking 4,019 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within TX, it ranks 351 of 2,558.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Houston's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Houston can differ from the 77231 normal.