Buda, TX planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9a20 to 25 °F
- Last frost
- Mar 10avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 17avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 252days
Buda, Texas is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a. Its average last spring frost is around March 10 and the first fall frost around November 17, giving a growing season of about 252 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.
Buda planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Buda'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 13 – Jan 27 | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | May 16 – Jun 5 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 – Jan 13 | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | May 23 – Jun 22 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 10 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | May 6 – May 26 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | May 1 – May 16 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | May 6 – May 16 | Sep 18 – Sep 28 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | May 9 – Jun 8 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 16 – May 1 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Mar 27 – Apr 11 | Sep 4 – Sep 19 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 23 – Apr 7 | Aug 25 – Sep 9 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 8 – Mar 18 | Sep 14 – Sep 24 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Feb 17 – Feb 24 | Apr 18 – May 8 | Aug 15 – Sep 4 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 13 – Jan 27 | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Apr 6 – Apr 26 | Aug 20 – Sep 9 |
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 USC00410431. 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 25 | Apr 14 | Nov 6 | Nov 21 | 226 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 10 | Mar 31 | Nov 17 | Dec 6 | 252 |
| 28°F | Feb 28 | Mar 17 | Dec 1 | Dec 30 | 279 |
| 24°F | Feb 6 | Mar 7 | Dec 24 | Jan 21 | 313 |
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) | 6,708 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 10,040 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9a
Buda sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 20 to 25 °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 9a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Buda?
- Buda, Texas is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 20 to 25 °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 Buda?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around March 10, 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 31, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Buda?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 17. That leaves a growing season of about 252 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Buda?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 13 – Jan 27 and transplant them outside about Mar 17 – Mar 24, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around May 16 – Jun 5.
- How long is the growing season in Buda?
- About 252 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~March 10) and the average first fall frost (~November 17). 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 USC00410431 (Austin 6s, 19.2 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.