USDA zone 9b in Texas
USDA plant hardiness zone 9b covers 55 locations across Texas (average annual extreme minimum 25 to 30 °F): Banquete, TX, Baytown, TX, Beaumont, TX, Beaumont, TX, Ben Bolt, TX, Benavides, TX, and 49 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges January 9 (Falcon) to March 5 (Catarina), and growing seasons run 265–363 days (Catarina to Falcon) — 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 Pecan Grove, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 9b25 to 30 °F
- Last frost range
- Jan 9–Mar 5avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Jan 1–Dec 28avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 265–363days
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.
| Location | Also covers | Nearest station | Last frost | First frost | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banquete | Spring Gardens | Robstown | Jan 26 | Dec 24 | 336 |
| Baytown | Dayton, Mont Belvieu, Channelview, Highlands, Beach, Sheldon, +2 more | Baytown | Feb 20 | Dec 4 | 292 |
| Beaumont | — | Beaumont City | Feb 14 | Dec 4 | 299 |
| Beaumont | Hamshire | Beaumont Rsch Ctr | Feb 18 | Dec 2 | 291 |
| Ben Bolt | Coyote Acres, Agua Dulce | Alice Intl Ap | Feb 5 | Dec 10 | 312 |
| Benavides | — | Benavides 2 | Feb 20 | Dec 1 | 286 |
| Boling | Markham, Blessing, Iago, Midfield | Danevang 1 W | Feb 15 | Dec 8 | 301 |
| Bolivar Peninsula | Stowell, Anahuac, Oak Island | Anahuac | Feb 12 | Dec 6 | 302 |
| Bruni | — | Bruni | Jan 30 | Dec 18 | 323 |
| Cantu Addition | — | Falfurrias | Feb 25 | Dec 1 | 285 |
| Catarina | — | Carrizo Springs 3s | Mar 5 | Nov 22 | 265 |
| Clute | Oyster Creek | Freeport 2 Nw | Jan 27 | Jan 1 | 338 |
| El Campo | Wharton | El Campo | Feb 23 | Dec 5 | 287 |
| Encinal | — | Encinal | Feb 21 | Dec 9 | 296 |
| Encino | — | Armstrong 4se | Feb 22 | Dec 5 | 293 |
| Encino | Delmita, San Isidro | Mccook | Jan 22 | Dec 19 | 333 |
| Falcon | La Minita, Indio, Guerra, New Falcon | Falcon Dam | Jan 9 | Jan 1 | 363 |
| Freer | Benavides | Freer | Feb 10 | Dec 7 | 304 |
| Fulton | — | Rockport Aransas Co Ap | Jan 23 | Jan 1 | 347 |
| George West | — | Choke Canyon Dam | Feb 8 | Dec 6 | 302 |
| Goliad | Tivoli | Coleto Creek Rsvr | Feb 17 | Dec 8 | 299 |
| Hargill | — | Edinburg 17 Nne | Jan 21 | Dec 23 | 338 |
| Hitchcock | — | Galveston Scholes Fld | frost-free | frost-free | 365 |
| Holiday Beach | Seadrift, Tivoli | Aransas Wr | Feb 7 | Dec 13 | 306 |
| Houston | — | Houston-port | Feb 2 | Dec 25 | 327 |
| Houston | Atascocita, Spring, Humble, Jersey, Porter Heights | Houston Intercont Ap | Feb 13 | Dec 9 | 300 |
| Houston | Pearland, Pasadena, Manvel, La Porte, Fresno, South Houston | Houston Hobby Ap | Jan 30 | Dec 28 | 330 |
| Houston | The Woodlands, Tomball, Jersey | Houston Hooks Mem Ap | Feb 19 | Dec 3 | 290 |
| Houston | Mission Bend, Cinco Ranch, Jersey, Four Corners | Houston Sugarland Mem | Feb 2 | Dec 11 | 318 |
| Inez | Victoria, Quail Creek, Bloomington, Placedo | Victoria Rgnl Ap | Feb 18 | Dec 4 | 291 |
| Lake Jackson | Angleton, Brazoria, West Columbia, Sweeny, Liverpool, Danbury | Angleton Brazoria Ap | Feb 13 | Dec 8 | 301 |
| Laredo | La Moca Ranch, La Coma, La Presa, Aguilares, Valle Verde | Laredo 2 | Jan 25 | Dec 17 | 329 |
| League | Friendswood, Santa Fe, La Marque, Dickinson, Webster, Bacliff, +5 more | Houston Nwso | Jan 31 | Dec 14 | 317 |
| Liberty | — | Liberty | Feb 21 | Dec 1 | 286 |
| Medina | San Ygnacio | Zapata 1 S | Jan 19 | Dec 22 | 341 |
| Palacios | Blessing, La Ward | Palacios Muni Ap | Feb 1 | Dec 17 | 319 |
| Pecan Grove * | — | Sugar Land | Feb 9 | Dec 13 | 305 |
| Port Arthur | Port Neches, Bridge, Central Gardens, Taylor Landing | Port Arthur Se Tx Ap | Feb 14 | Dec 7 | 301 |
| Port Lavaca | Lolita, Vanderbilt, Point Comfort | Pt Comfort | Feb 1 | Dec 21 | 321 |
| Port O'Connor | — | Port O'connor | Feb 4 | Dec 27 | 323 |
| Premont | Driscoll | Kingsville | Jan 25 | Dec 20 | 329 |
| Refugio | — | Refugio 3 Sw | Feb 15 | Dec 5 | 295 |
| Ricardo | Riviera | Kingsville Naas | Feb 3 | Dec 14 | 314 |
| Robstown | Tierra Grande | Corpus Christi | Jan 28 | Dec 21 | 331 |
| Santa Anna | El Brazil, Manuel Garcia II | Rio Grande City | Jan 31 | Dec 17 | 321 |
| Sarita | — | Sarita 7 E | Feb 17 | Dec 8 | 300 |
| Skidmore | Beeville, Normanna | Beeville 5 Ne | Feb 17 | Dec 8 | 299 |
| Sugar Land | Missouri, Sienna, Fresno, Stafford, Thompsons, Rosharon, +2 more | Thompsons 3 Wsw | Feb 15 | Dec 6 | 297 |
| Taft | Gregory, Bayside, Woodsboro | Welder Wildlife Foundation | Feb 24 | Dec 1 | 283 |
| Thompsonville | Aguilares, Realitos, Concepcion | Hebbronville | Feb 4 | Dec 12 | 320 |
| Tilden | — | Calliham | Feb 9 | Dec 8 | 303 |
| Tynan | St. Paul, Edroy, Odem | Sinton | Feb 1 | Dec 17 | 324 |
| Wadsworth | Van Vleck | Bay City Wtr Wks | Feb 20 | Dec 3 | 290 |
| Wadsworth | Matagorda | Matagorda No 2 | Feb 5 | Dec 16 | 310 |
| Westdale | Mathis, Lake | Mathis 4 Ssw | Jan 31 | Dec 23 | 328 |
* Pecan Grove 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 (Pecan Grove, representative)
Computed from Pecan Grove's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Texaszone 9b 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).
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting | Season fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Jan 1 | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Apr 17 – May 7 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 | Feb 23 – Mar 2 | Apr 24 – May 24 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Jan 12 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Apr 7 – Apr 27 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Apr 2 – Apr 17 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Apr 7 – Apr 17 | Oct 14 – Oct 24 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Apr 10 – May 10 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 1 – Jan 12 | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 18 – Apr 2 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 1 – Jan 12 | Jan 12 – Jan 26 | Feb 26 – Mar 13 | Sep 30 – Oct 15 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 1 – Jan 12 | Feb 25 – Mar 12 | Sep 20 – Oct 5 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 1 – Jan 12 | Feb 10 – Feb 20 | Oct 10 – Oct 20 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Jan 19 – Jan 26 | Mar 20 – Apr 9 | Sep 10 – Sep 30 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 1 | Jan 12 – Jan 26 | Mar 8 – Mar 28 | Sep 15 – Oct 5 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Pecan Grove's own 305-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 (Pecan Grove)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00418728. 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.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 2 | Mar 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 20 | 272 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 9 | Mar 11 | Dec 13 | Jan 13 | 305 |
| 28°F | Jan 28 | Feb 28 | Jan 1 | Feb 2 | 337 |
| 24°F | Jan 20 | Feb 20 | Jan 6 | Feb 9 | 365 |
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 55 locations is 7,861; Pecan Grove's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 7,712 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 11,224 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9b in Texas
Zone 9b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 25 to 30 °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, 8b, 9a, 10a, 10b.
Explore zone 9b in other states at zone 9b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 9b mean in Texas?
- Zone 9b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 25 to 30 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 55 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 9b is the growing season longest?
- Falcon runs the longest season on this page at about 363 days; Catarina is shortest at about 265 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 9b?
- Using Pecan Grove's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Jan 1, then transplant outside about Feb 16 – Feb 23. 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 9b 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 55 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.