When to plant in Houston, MO
Planting dates worked out from Houston's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 28
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 12
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 20
1 year in 10 by Oct 7
Frost-free days
198
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Houston · 3.8 km away · station 397 m, town 355 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 27 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 8 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 24 |
| Peas | — | Mar 7 – Apr 4 | May 1 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 21 |
| Beet | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 8 |
| Potato | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 31 |
| Kale | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 27 |
| Broccoli | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | May 14 |
| Cucumber | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 17 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 12 |
| Winter squash | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | Jun 13 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 6 – Nov 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 7 – Apr 4 | Apr 14 |
| Basil | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 24 |
Houston's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1894 | May 20 |
| 1895 | May 23 |
| 1896 | Apr 3 |
| 1897 | Apr 17 |
| 1898 | Apr 7 |
| 1899 | Apr 16 |
| 1900 | Apr 13 |
| 1901 | Apr 21 |
| 1902 | Apr 15 |
| 1903 | May 1 |
| 1904 | Apr 18 |
| 1905 | Apr 22 |
| 1906 | May 9 |
| 1907 | May 20 |
| 1908 | Apr 30 |
| 1909 | May 10 |
| 1910 | May 14 |
| 1911 | May 2 |
| 1912 | Apr 23 |
| 1913 | Apr 28 |
| 1915 | Apr 3 |
| 1916 | Apr 26 |
| 1917 | Apr 14 |
| 1918 | May 1 |
| 1919 | Apr 26 |
| 1920 | Apr 14 |
| 1922 | Apr 29 |
| 1954 | May 4 |
| 1955 | Apr 8 |
| 1956 | Apr 23 |
| 1957 | May 5 |
| 1958 | May 7 |
| 1959 | May 15 |
| 1960 | May 13 |
| 1961 | May 2 |
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | May 1 |
| 1964 | Apr 15 |
| 1965 | Apr 29 |
| 1966 | May 10 |
| 1967 | May 4 |
| 1968 | Apr 25 |
| 1969 | May 11 |
| 1970 | May 3 |
| 1972 | Apr 25 |
| 1988 | Apr 24 |
| 1989 | May 12 |
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Apr 21 |
| 1992 | May 8 |
| 1993 | Apr 22 |
| 1995 | May 2 |
| 2009 | Apr 15 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 6 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2019 | Apr 15 |
| 2020 | Apr 15 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2024 | Apr 5 |
| 2026 | Mar 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1894 | 141 |
| 1895 | 129 |
| 1896 | 187 |
| 1897 | 156 |
| 1898 | 198 |
| 1900 | 178 |
| 1901 | 150 |
| 1902 | 181 |
| 1903 | 169 |
| 1904 | 187 |
| 1906 | 153 |
| 1907 | 144 |
| 1908 | 150 |
| 1909 | 140 |
| 1910 | 146 |
| 1911 | 172 |
| 1912 | 160 |
| 1913 | 174 |
| 1915 | 185 |
| 1916 | 177 |
| 1917 | 174 |
| 1918 | 183 |
| 1922 | 150 |
| 1954 | 178 |
| 1955 | 189 |
| 1956 | 167 |
| 1957 | 166 |
| 1958 | 146 |
| 1959 | 146 |
| 1960 | 159 |
| 1961 | 153 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 151 |
| 1964 | 173 |
| 1965 | 166 |
| 1966 | 148 |
| 1967 | 148 |
| 1969 | 156 |
| 1970 | 166 |
| 1988 | 170 |
| 1989 | 134 |
| 1990 | 180 |
| 1992 | 143 |
| 1993 | 170 |
| 2009 | 185 |
| 2010 | 223 |
| 2011 | 198 |
| 2012 | 211 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 207 |
| 2016 | 213 |
| 2017 | 225 |
| 2018 | 183 |
| 2019 | 179 |
| 2020 | 172 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1894 | 19.1 °C |
| 1895 | 20.0 °C |
| 1896 | 21.6 °C |
| 1897 | 20.9 °C |
| 1898 | 21.0 °C |
| 1899 | 21.1 °C |
| 1900 | 21.1 °C |
| 1901 | 21.4 °C |
| 1902 | 21.0 °C |
| 1903 | 20.1 °C |
| 1904 | 19.0 °C |
| 1906 | 20.3 °C |
| 1907 | 19.3 °C |
| 1908 | 20.3 °C |
| 1909 | 20.4 °C |
| 1910 | 19.5 °C |
| 1911 | 21.2 °C |
| 1912 | 19.9 °C |
| 1913 | 21.1 °C |
| 1915 | 20.4 °C |
| 1916 | 21.1 °C |
| 1917 | 19.3 °C |
| 1918 | 20.8 °C |
| 1922 | 21.5 °C |
| 1954 | 22.9 °C |
| 1955 | 21.2 °C |
| 1956 | 20.5 °C |
| 1957 | 20.1 °C |
| 1958 | 20.0 °C |
| 1959 | 20.6 °C |
| 1960 | 20.8 °C |
| 1961 | 18.8 °C |
| 1962 | 20.4 °C |
| 1963 | 20.8 °C |
| 1964 | 21.1 °C |
| 1965 | 21.1 °C |
| 1966 | 19.6 °C |
| 1967 | 19.1 °C |
| 1968 | 19.7 °C |
| 1969 | 20.4 °C |
| 1970 | 20.8 °C |
| 1972 | 20.7 °C |
| 1988 | 22.1 °C |
| 1989 | 19.8 °C |
| 1990 | 20.1 °C |
| 1992 | 18.8 °C |
| 1993 | 19.6 °C |
| 1996 | 19.3 °C |
| 2009 | 20.1 °C |
| 2010 | 22.1 °C |
| 2011 | 21.1 °C |
| 2012 | 21.8 °C |
| 2014 | 20.2 °C |
| 2015 | 20.5 °C |
| 2016 | 20.8 °C |
| 2017 | 20.3 °C |
| 2018 | 21.3 °C |
| 2019 | 21.2 °C |
| 2020 | 19.9 °C |
| 2024 | 21.3 °C |
| 2026 | 23.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1894, Houston's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Houston (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.