Rockport, TX planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 10a30 to 35 °F
- Last frost
- Jan 23avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Jan 1avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 347days
Rockport, Texas is in USDA plant hardiness zone 10a. Its average last spring frost is around January 23 and the first fall frost around January 1, giving a growing season of about 347 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.
Rockport planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Rockport'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 1 | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 31 – Apr 20 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 | Feb 6 – Feb 13 | Apr 7 – May 7 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Jan 1 – Jan 2 | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 21 – Apr 10 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 16 – Mar 31 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 21 – Mar 31 | — |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 24 – Apr 23 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 1 | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 1 – Mar 16 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 1 | Jan 1 – Jan 9 | Feb 15 – Mar 2 | — |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 1 | Feb 25 – Mar 12 | — |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 1 | Feb 10 – Feb 20 | — |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Jan 2 – Jan 9 | Mar 3 – Mar 23 | — |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 1 | Jan 1 – Jan 9 | Feb 25 – Mar 17 | — |
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 USW00012972. 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 | Feb 6 | Mar 6 | Dec 13 | Jan 13 | 312 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Jan 23 | Feb 27 | Jan 1 | Feb 3 | 347 |
| 28°F | Jan 8 | Feb 19 | Jan 4 | Feb 6 | 365 |
| 24°F | — | — | — | — | 365 |
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) | 8,501 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 12,079 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 10a
Rockport sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 10a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 30 to 35 °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 10a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Rockport?
- Rockport, Texas is in USDA plant hardiness zone 10a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 30 to 35 °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 Rockport?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around January 23, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as February 27, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Rockport?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around January 1. That leaves a growing season of about 347 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Rockport?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 1 and transplant them outside about Jan 30 – Feb 6, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Mar 31 – Apr 20.
- How long is the growing season in Rockport?
- About 347 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~January 23) and the average first fall frost (~January 1). 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 USW00012972 (Rockport Aransas Co Ap, 1.8 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.