What does USDA hardiness zone 8b mean in Texas?

Zone 8b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 15 to 20 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 129 locations in Texas fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.

Where in Texas's zone 8b is the growing season longest?

Lake View runs the longest season on this page at about 297 days; Marathon is shortest at about 205 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.

When should I plant tomatoes in Texas's zone 8b?

Using Sulphur Springs's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Jan 18 – Feb 1, then transplant outside about Mar 22 – Mar 29. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.

Does every location in Texas's zone 8b have the same frost dates?

No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 129 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).

USDA zone 8b in Texas

15 to 20 °F avg. annual extreme minimum · 129 locations in this group · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

USDA plant hardiness zone 8b covers 129 locations across Texas (average annual extreme minimum 15 to 20 °F): Alpine, TX, Annetta South, TX, Annona, TX, Argyle, TX, Arlington, TX, Arlington, TX, and 123 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges February 14 (Lake View) to April 7 (Marathon), and growing seasons run 205–297 days (Marathon to Lake View) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every Texas location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Sulphur Springs, this group's median-season location.

USDA zone: 8b15 to 20 °F
Last frost range: Feb 14–Apr 7avg, 32°F
First frost range: Nov 1–Dec 9avg, 32°F
Growing season range: 205–297days

Locations in this group

Every location below shares this zone and a nearby weather station, but keeps its own frost dates — find your town for its own numbers, or use the ZIP planner on the home page for an instant personalized answer.

Own frost dates per location.
Location	Also covers	Nearest station	Last frost	First frost	Season (days)
Alpine	—	Alpine	Apr 2	Nov 3	216
Annetta South	—	Weatherford	Mar 25	Nov 8	230
Annona	—	Clarksville 2ne	Mar 20	Nov 10	233
Argyle	Justin	Denton Muni Ap	Mar 24	Nov 7	227
Arlington	Grand Prairie, Bedford	Arlington Six Flags	Mar 9	Nov 20	253
Arlington	Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Cedar Hill	Arlington Muni Ap	Mar 9	Nov 21	256
Atlanta	Douglassville, McLeod, Rodessa, Bloomburg, Domino	Atlanta	Mar 19	Nov 11	237
Austin	—	Austin Bergstrom Ap	Mar 12	Nov 16	252
Bardwell	—	Bardwell Dam	Mar 8	Nov 21	256
Bartlett	—	Granger Dam	Mar 5	Nov 22	261
Box Canyon	—	Hudspeth Rvr Rch	Mar 10	Nov 16	251
Box Canyon	—	Langtry	Feb 27	Nov 27	270
Brady	Rochelle, Melvin	Brady	Mar 14	Nov 15	244
Buffalo	Leona, Jewett, Centerville, Marquez, Oakwood	Centerville	Mar 20	Nov 12	239
Burleson	Joshua, Kennedale, Alvarado, The Homesteads, Everman	Burleson	Mar 21	Nov 14	236
Burnet	Bertram	Burnet	Mar 15	Nov 11	243
Butterfield	—	El Paso 32 Ene	Mar 24	Nov 11	230
Carthage	Gary, Beckville	Carthage	Mar 8	Nov 19	255
Center	Tenaha, Logansport, Timpson, Joaquin, Converse, Huxley, +1 more	Center	Mar 13	Nov 15	248
Center Point	Utopia, Bandera	Medina 1ne	Mar 16	Nov 15	244
Cleburne	Keene, Godley, Grandview, Coyote Flats, Rio Vista, Blum, +2 more	Cleburne	Mar 17	Nov 12	240
Comanche	De Leon, Gustine	Proctor Rsvr	Mar 12	Nov 18	249
Copperas Cove	Gatesville, South Mountain, Cranfills Gap, Mound, Evant, Oglesby	Gatesville	Mar 19	Nov 9	236
Crockett	Grapeland, Lovelady, Kennard, Latexo	Crockett	Mar 13	Nov 17	251
Dallas	Plano, Frisco, Richardson, The Colony	Richardson	Mar 7	Nov 21	259
Dallas	Mesquite, Lancaster, Wilmer, Hutchins, Balch Springs, Combine, +2 more	Ferris	Mar 12	Nov 19	253
Dallas	Plano, Irving, Carrollton, Richardson, Farmers Branch, Addison	Dallas Love Fld	Mar 2	Nov 29	272
Dallas	Grand Prairie, Lancaster, DeSoto, Duncanville	Dallas Redbird Ap	Mar 6	Nov 25	265
De Kalb	Marietta	Dekalb	Mar 26	Nov 6	225
Denton	Little Elm, Highland, Lake Dallas, Krugerville, Hackberry	Denton 2 Se	Mar 13	Nov 20	251
Dripping Springs	Driftwood, Bear Creek	Dripping Springs 6 E	Mar 17	Nov 13	242
Dublin	Lamkin	Dublin 2se	Mar 16	Nov 16	243
El Paso	San Miguel, Prado Verde	Santa Teresa Ap	Mar 23	Nov 11	231
El Paso	Anthony, Chamberino, Vado, Canutillo, Berino	La Tuna 1 S	Feb 28	Nov 20	264
El Paso	Socorro, Fort Bliss, Agua Dulce, San Elizario, Sparks, Morning Glory	El Paso Intl Ap	Mar 2	Nov 20	261
Emory	—	Emory	Mar 20	Nov 12	238
Ennis	Corsicana, Rice, Powell, Blooming Grove, Barry	Corsicana	Mar 14	Nov 16	246
Fairfield	Teague	Fairfield 3w	Mar 16	Nov 14	243
Fort Stockton	—	Ft Stockton Pecos Ap	Mar 8	Nov 20	252
Fort Worth	—	Ft Worth Meacham Fld	Mar 11	Nov 19	252
Fort Worth	Azle	Ft Worth Nas	Mar 3	Nov 27	270
Fort Worth	Benbrook, Crowley	Benbrook Dam	Mar 14	Nov 16	245
Fort Worth	Keller, North Richland Hills	Ft Worth Wsfo	Mar 10	Nov 20	255
Garland	Mesquite, Rockwall, Wylie, Rowlett, Royse, Sunnyvale, +6 more	Lavon Dam	Mar 10	Nov 19	254
Gilmer	Hawkins, Big Sandy	Gilmer 4 Wnw	Mar 26	Nov 8	229
Glen Rose	Walnut Springs	Rainbow	Mar 28	Nov 7	225
Granbury	DeCordova, Tolar	Granbury 5n	Mar 24	Nov 9	228
Grand Prairie	Irving, Flower Mound, Lewisville, Carrollton, Grapevine, Southlake, +4 more	Dallas Ft Worth Ap	Mar 8	Nov 24	262
Greenville	Commerce, Caddo Mills, Josephine, Celeste, Campbell, Wolfe, +1 more	Greenville Kgvl Radio	Mar 18	Nov 16	244
Grey Forest	—	San Antonio/seaworld	Feb 18	Dec 9	296
Hallsville	Easton, Lakeport	Hallsville 4 S	Mar 15	Nov 15	245
Hamilton	Evant	Evant 1ssw	Mar 15	Nov 18	247
Harper	Mason	Mason	Mar 18	Nov 13	241
Haslet	Roanoke, Newark	Ft Worth Alliance Ap	Mar 12	Nov 17	249
Hebron	—	Grapevine Dam	Mar 14	Nov 17	249
Henderson	New London, Arp, Troup, Mount Enterprise	Henderson	Mar 15	Nov 16	247
Hico	Iredell	Hico	Mar 24	Nov 7	229
Hillsboro	Milford, Italy, Itasca, Penelope, Abbott, Malone, +2 more	Hillsboro	Mar 21	Nov 10	235
Horseshoe Bay	Round Mountain, Johnson	Johnson City 2n	Mar 22	Nov 9	235
Hubbard	Oak Valley, Dawson, Mart, Frost, Coolidge	Navarro Mills Dam	Mar 13	Nov 14	250
Hudson	Diboll, Redland	Lufkin Angelina Co Ap	Mar 11	Nov 15	247
Jacksonville	Cuney	Jacksonville	Mar 22	Nov 14	239
Jarrell	Serenada, Florence	Georgetown Lake	Mar 6	Nov 24	259
Jefferson	Linden, Pine Harbor, McLeod, Nesbitt, Bivins	Jefferson	Mar 18	Nov 8	236
Kaufman	Crandall, Seven Points, Rosser, Cottonwood	Kaufman 3 Se	Mar 16	Nov 14	243
Kerrville	Center Point, Comfort, Ingram	Kerrville 3 Nne	Mar 27	Nov 7	226
Killeen	Briggs	Killeen	Mar 14	Nov 17	247
Kingsland	Buchanan Dam, Llano, Mason, Tow	Llano	Mar 20	Nov 10	235
Ladonia	—	Bonham 3nne	Mar 16	Nov 13	242
Lake View	—	Amistad Dam	Feb 14	Dec 6	297
Lakehills	Fair Oaks Ranch, Boerne, Cross Mountain, Comfort, Spring Branch	Boerne	Mar 15	Nov 13	243
Lampasas	Kempner	Lampasas	Mar 22	Nov 12	238
Leakey	—	Prade Rch	Apr 5	Nov 2	212
Lipan	—	Mineral Wells Ap	Mar 24	Nov 10	231
Longview	White Oak	Longview #2	Mar 7	Nov 23	260
Longview	Kilgore, Gladewater, Lakeport	Longview E Tx Rgnl Ap	Mar 8	Nov 17	251
Mabank	Canton, Elmo, Wills Point, Fruitvale, Edgewood, Quinlan	Wills Pt	Mar 11	Nov 21	252
Marathon	—	Marathon	Apr 7	Nov 1	205
Marble Falls	Liberty Hill, Briarcliff	Austin 33 Nw	Mar 2	Nov 29	274
Marlin	Golinda, Riesel, Chilton, Mart, Kosse, Lott, +2 more	Marlin	Mar 21	Nov 9	234
Marshall	Waskom, Nesbitt, Uncertain	Marshall	Mar 20	Nov 11	233
McCamey	Rankin, Iraan	Mccamey	Mar 12	Nov 16	247
McGregor	Bruceville-Eddy, Lorena, Moody	Mcgregor	Mar 15	Nov 18	249
Meridian	Clifton, Whitney, Morgan, Aquilla	Whitney Dam	Mar 15	Nov 14	243
Mexia	Groesbeck, Tehuacana	Mexia	Mar 13	Nov 22	251
Midland	—	Midland 4 Ene	Mar 26	Nov 9	226
Midlothian	Waxahachie, Red Oak, Venus, Italy, Maypearl	Waxahachie	Mar 16	Nov 16	245
Mineola	Winnsboro, Grand Saline, Quitman, Yantis, Alba	Lake Fk Rsvr	Mar 7	Nov 23	260
Mount Pleasant	Omaha	Mt Pleasant	Mar 24	Nov 7	230
Mount Vernon	Winnsboro, Tira, Bogata, Deport, Como, Talco, +2 more	Mt Vernon	Mar 15	Nov 16	245
Nacogdoches	Appleby, Chireno, Alto, Garrison	Nacogdoches	Mar 13	Nov 17	248
Paint Rock	Melvin, Valera	Concho Park/ivie Rsvr	Mar 18	Nov 12	239
Palestine	Elkhart, Neches	Palestine 2 Ne	Mar 23	Nov 9	234
Palestine	Oakwood	Palestine 6 Wnw	Mar 12	Nov 19	253
Pittsburg	Hughes Springs, Daingerfield, Ore, Lone Star, Avinger, Marietta	Daingerfield 9 S	Mar 8	Nov 22	259
Plano	Frisco, McKinney, Celina, Allen, Prosper, Anna, +6 more	Mckinney Muni Ap	Mar 18	Nov 11	239
Point	—	Lake Tawakoni	Mar 16	Nov 14	242
Priddy	Goldthwaite, Lometa, Evant, Mullin	Goldthwaite 1 Wsw	Mar 23	Nov 11	234
Redford	—	Big Bend Rch Sp	Mar 21	Nov 11	237
Reno	Cooper, Deport, Roxton	Paris	Mar 14	Nov 16	247
Richland	Mildred, Wortham, Streetman, Goodlow, Kirvin	Corsicana Campbell Fld	Mar 7	Nov 23	261
Rocksprings	—	Rocksprings	Mar 8	Nov 25	258
Rusk	New Summerfield, Gallatin, Reklaw, Alto, Cushing	Rusk	Mar 7	Nov 25	263
San Augustine	—	San Augustine	Mar 18	Nov 13	240
San Saba	Richland Springs	San Saba 7nw	Mar 16	Nov 13	239
Sanderson	—	Dryden Terrell Co Ap	Mar 1	Nov 28	271
Sanderson	—	Sanderson	Mar 11	Nov 11	243
Santa Anna	—	Coleman	Mar 14	Nov 20	249
Schertz	—	Randolph Afb	Feb 21	Dec 5	289
Sheffield	—	Sheffield	Mar 31	Nov 3	217
Spring Branch	Woodcreek	Canyon Dam	Mar 1	Dec 1	276
Stephenville	Bluff Dale	Stephenville	Mar 29	Nov 8	226
Stonewall	Blanco, Spring Branch	Blanco	Mar 20	Nov 10	236
Stonewall	Fredericksburg	Fredericksburg	Mar 18	Nov 10	235
Study Butte	—	Chisos Basin	Mar 10	Nov 19	252
Sulphur Springs *	Cooper, Tira, Como, Cumby, Pecan Gap	Sulphur Springs	Mar 15	Nov 14	245
Tatum	—	Longview Wsmo	Mar 11	Nov 17	250
Temple	Killeen, Belton, Harker Heights, Nolanville, Troy, Salado	Stillhouse Hollow Dam	Mar 14	Nov 20	251
Terrell	Forney	Terrell Muni Ap	Mar 11	Nov 18	250
Texarkana	New Boston, Wake, Hooks, Redwater, Red Lick, Maud	Texarkana	Mar 15	Nov 17	249
Timberwood Park	Bulverde	San Antonio Intl Ap	Feb 26	Nov 28	277
Trinidad	Eustace, Malakoff, Frankston, Poynor, Murchison, Moore Station, +1 more	Athens	Mar 18	Nov 12	242
Tyler	Whitehouse, Bullard, Arp, Troup, New Chapel Hill, Noonday, +1 more	Tyler	Mar 7	Nov 21	257
Tyler	Lindale, Chandler, Van, Edom, Brownsboro, Hideaway	Tyler Pounds Fld	Mar 8	Nov 22	258
Utopia	Barksdale, Leakey, Camp Wood	Camp Wood	Mar 12	Nov 14	248
Waco	Robinson, Hewitt, China Spring, Lacy-Lakeview, Lorena, Leroy, +5 more	Waco Rgnl Ap	Mar 15	Nov 15	245
Wells	—	Lufkin 11 Nw	Mar 19	Nov 10	239
West Odessa	Odessa	Odessa Schlemeyer Fld	Mar 19	Nov 11	235
Zephyr	—	Brownwood 2ene	Mar 22	Nov 10	233

* Sulphur Springs is this group's median-season location — the calendar below is computed from its data.

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.

Planting calendar (Sulphur Springs, representative)

Computed from Sulphur Springs's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Texaszone 8b group. 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 — your own location's dates may run a week or two earlier or later (see the table above).

Crop

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Tomato

Pepper

Cucumber

Summer squash / zucchini

Start indoors
Plant out
Fall sowing
First harvest

Planting windows for Sulphur Springs (Texas, zone 8b), this group's representative location.
Crop	Frost tolerance	Start indoors	Plant out	First harvest	Fall planting	Season fit
Tomato	Tender	Jan 18 – Feb 1	Mar 22 – Mar 29	May 21 – Jun 10	—	matures comfortably
Pepper	Very tender	Jan 4 – Jan 18	Mar 29 – Apr 5	May 28 – Jun 27	—	matures comfortably
Cucumber	Tender	Feb 15 – Feb 22	Mar 22 – Mar 29	May 11 – May 31	—	matures comfortably
Summer squash / zucchini	Tender	—	Mar 22 – Mar 29	May 6 – May 21	—	matures comfortably
Bush bean	Tender	—	Mar 22 – Mar 29	May 11 – May 21	Sep 15 – Sep 25	matures comfortably
Sweet corn	Tender	—	Mar 15 – Mar 29	May 14 – Jun 13	—	matures comfortably
Basil	Very tender	Feb 1 – Feb 15	Mar 22 – Mar 29	Apr 21 – May 6	—	matures comfortably
Lettuce	Half-hardy	Feb 1 – Feb 15	Feb 15 – Mar 1	Apr 1 – Apr 16	Sep 1 – Sep 16	matures comfortably
Pea	Hardy	—	Feb 1 – Feb 15	Mar 28 – Apr 12	Aug 22 – Sep 6	matures comfortably
Spinach	Hardy	—	Feb 1 – Feb 15	Mar 13 – Mar 23	Sep 11 – Sep 21	matures comfortably
Carrot	Half-hardy	—	Feb 22 – Mar 1	Apr 23 – May 13	Aug 12 – Sep 1	matures comfortably
Broccoli	Half-hardy	Jan 18 – Feb 1	Feb 15 – Mar 1	Apr 11 – May 1	Aug 17 – Sep 6	matures comfortably

Which crops fit this growing season

Using Sulphur Springs's own 245-day growing season (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020 median) against each crop's real days-to-maturity range: 12 of 12 crops mature here with comfortable margin. A different location in the table above with a longer or shorter season will get a different mix — the ZIP planner on the home page gives your own.

Frost & freeze dates (Sulphur Springs)

From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00418743. 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 — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.

Freeze probabilities by temperature threshold (MM/DD, NOAA 1991–2020), Sulphur Springs.
Threshold	Last spring — avg	Last spring — 90%-safe	First fall — avg	First fall — 90%-safe	Season (days)
36°F	Mar 31	Apr 17	Nov 4	Nov 21	219
32°F (freeze)	Mar 15	Apr 4	Nov 14	Dec 3	245
28°F	Mar 2	Mar 19	Nov 28	Dec 18	272
24°F	Feb 16	Mar 10	Dec 12	Jan 14	300

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. This group's median GDD (base 50°F) across all 129 locations is 6,242; Sulphur Springs's own reading is shown below.

Annual growing degree days for Sulphur Springs (°F·days, NOAA 1991–2020).
Model	°F·days	Used for
Base 50°F (warm-season)	6,139	standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans)
Base 40°F (cool-season)	9,280	cool-season crops (brassicas, greens)

Hardiness zone 8b in Texas

Zone 8b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 15 to 20 °F on the USDA's 2023 map — the number that 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. Texas spans 9 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all Texas locations for the full range, including zones6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b.

Explore zone 8b in other states at zone 8b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.

Frequently asked questions

What does USDA hardiness zone 8b mean in Texas?: Zone 8b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 15 to 20 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 129 locations in Texas fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
Where in Texas's zone 8b is the growing season longest?: Lake View runs the longest season on this page at about 297 days; Marathon is shortest at about 205 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.
When should I plant tomatoes in Texas's zone 8b?: Using Sulphur Springs's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Jan 18 – Feb 1, then transplant outside about Mar 22 – Mar 29. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.
Does every location in Texas's zone 8b have the same frost dates?: No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 129 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).

Sources & method

Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one reading per location's own nearest station (see the table above). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to each 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.