Arlington, TX 76018 planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 8b15 to 20 °F
- Last frost
- Mar 9avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 21avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 256days
Arlington, Texas is in USDA plant hardiness zone 8b. Its average last spring frost is around March 9 and the first fall frost around November 21, giving a growing season of about 256 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Arlington planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Arlington's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Jan 12 – Jan 26 | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | May 15 – Jun 4 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 – Jan 12 | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | May 22 – Jun 21 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 9 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | May 5 – May 25 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | Apr 30 – May 15 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | May 5 – May 15 | Sep 22 – Oct 2 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | May 8 – Jun 7 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | Apr 15 – Apr 30 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 26 – Apr 10 | Sep 8 – Sep 23 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 22 – Apr 6 | Aug 29 – Sep 13 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 7 – Mar 17 | Sep 18 – Sep 28 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Apr 17 – May 7 | Aug 19 – Sep 8 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 12 – Jan 26 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Apr 5 – Apr 25 | Aug 24 – Sep 13 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USW00053907. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 24 | Apr 15 | Nov 8 | Nov 26 | 229 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 9 | Mar 28 | Nov 21 | Dec 7 | 256 |
| 28°F | Feb 25 | Mar 14 | Dec 4 | Dec 30 | 285 |
| 24°F | Feb 5 | Mar 4 | Dec 23 | Jan 24 | 320 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 6,643 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 9,910 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 8b
Arlington sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 8b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 15 to 20 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 8b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Arlington?
- Arlington, Texas is in USDA plant hardiness zone 8b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 15 to 20 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Arlington?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around March 9, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as March 28, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Arlington?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 21. That leaves a growing season of about 256 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Arlington?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 12 – Jan 26 and transplant them outside about Mar 16 – Mar 23, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around May 15 – Jun 4.
- How long is the growing season in Arlington?
- About 256 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~March 9) and the average first fall frost (~November 21). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USW00053907 (Arlington Muni Ap, 0.4 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.