When to plant in Balch Springs, TX
Planting dates worked out from Balch Springs's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 1
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 12
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 15
1 year in 10 by Oct 29
Frost-free days
248
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Ferris · 22.0 km away · station 143 m, town 152 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 | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 26 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 31 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 8 – Jan 15 | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Mar 24 |
| Peas | — | Jan 29 – Feb 26 | Mar 25 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | May 14 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 20 |
| Beet | — | Feb 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 3 |
| Potato | — | Feb 19 – Mar 12 | Apr 30 |
| Kale | Jan 1 – Jan 15 | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Mar 27 |
| Broccoli | Jan 1 – Jan 15 | Feb 12 – Mar 5 | Apr 13 |
| Cucumber | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 21 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 16 |
| Winter squash | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | Jun 20 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | May 24 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 12 – Mar 5 | May 13 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 1 – Nov 29 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 29 – Feb 26 | Mar 8 |
| Basil | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 28 |
Balch Springs'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 |
|---|---|
| 1963 | Mar 8 |
| 1965 | Mar 26 |
| 1966 | Mar 24 |
| 1967 | Mar 8 |
| 1968 | Mar 23 |
| 1969 | Mar 26 |
| 1970 | Apr 2 |
| 1971 | Mar 20 |
| 1972 | Mar 3 |
| 1973 | Apr 10 |
| 1974 | Mar 24 |
| 1975 | Apr 3 |
| 1976 | Feb 23 |
| 1977 | Feb 27 |
| 1978 | Mar 10 |
| 1979 | Mar 5 |
| 1980 | Mar 18 |
| 1981 | Mar 19 |
| 1982 | Mar 7 |
| 1983 | Mar 22 |
| 1984 | Mar 7 |
| 1985 | Feb 13 |
| 1986 | Mar 21 |
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1988 | Mar 20 |
| 1989 | Apr 11 |
| 1990 | Mar 24 |
| 1991 | Feb 25 |
| 1992 | Mar 11 |
| 2006 | Mar 23 |
| 2007 | Mar 4 |
| 2008 | Mar 20 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 22 |
| 2011 | Mar 7 |
| 2012 | Feb 25 |
| 2013 | Mar 25 |
| 2014 | Apr 14 |
| 2015 | Mar 7 |
| 2016 | Mar 21 |
| 2017 | Feb 16 |
| 2018 | Feb 12 |
| 2020 | Feb 27 |
| 2021 | Feb 22 |
| 2022 | Mar 12 |
| 2023 | Feb 18 |
| 2024 | Feb 18 |
| 2025 | Feb 28 |
| 2026 | Mar 16 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 237 |
| 1965 | 256 |
| 1966 | 209 |
| 1967 | 240 |
| 1968 | 230 |
| 1969 | 233 |
| 1970 | 227 |
| 1971 | 248 |
| 1972 | 257 |
| 1973 | 240 |
| 1974 | 235 |
| 1975 | 224 |
| 1976 | 238 |
| 1977 | 255 |
| 1978 | 251 |
| 1979 | 253 |
| 1980 | 225 |
| 1981 | 246 |
| 1982 | 250 |
| 1983 | 246 |
| 1984 | 259 |
| 1985 | 290 |
| 1986 | 236 |
| 1987 | 218 |
| 1988 | 240 |
| 1990 | 249 |
| 1991 | 247 |
| 1992 | 238 |
| 2006 | 241 |
| 2007 | 273 |
| 2008 | 220 |
| 2009 | 231 |
| 2010 | 249 |
| 2011 | 266 |
| 2012 | 260 |
| 2013 | 231 |
| 2014 | 210 |
| 2015 | 258 |
| 2016 | 242 |
| 2017 | 252 |
| 2018 | 272 |
| 2020 | 275 |
| 2023 | 280 |
| 2024 | 283 |
| 2025 | 275 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 27.1 °C |
| 1965 | 26.0 °C |
| 1966 | 24.5 °C |
| 1967 | 24.8 °C |
| 1968 | 24.4 °C |
| 1969 | 25.4 °C |
| 1970 | 25.9 °C |
| 1971 | 25.2 °C |
| 1972 | 26.4 °C |
| 1973 | 24.6 °C |
| 1974 | 25.2 °C |
| 1975 | 25.0 °C |
| 1976 | 24.4 °C |
| 1977 | 26.5 °C |
| 1978 | 26.6 °C |
| 1979 | 24.3 °C |
| 1980 | 26.8 °C |
| 1981 | 25.4 °C |
| 1982 | 25.3 °C |
| 1983 | 24.5 °C |
| 1984 | 26.0 °C |
| 1985 | 26.4 °C |
| 1986 | 25.8 °C |
| 1988 | 24.6 °C |
| 1989 | 23.1 °C |
| 1990 | 24.0 °C |
| 1991 | 24.7 °C |
| 1992 | 23.7 °C |
| 2006 | 26.6 °C |
| 2008 | 25.2 °C |
| 2009 | 25.0 °C |
| 2010 | 26.4 °C |
| 2011 | 27.5 °C |
| 2012 | 26.5 °C |
| 2013 | 25.2 °C |
| 2014 | 24.6 °C |
| 2015 | 25.6 °C |
| 2016 | 25.4 °C |
| 2017 | 24.8 °C |
| 2018 | 26.1 °C |
| 2020 | 25.4 °C |
| 2021 | 25.2 °C |
| 2022 | 27.8 °C |
| 2023 | 26.8 °C |
| 2024 | 26.0 °C |
| 2025 | 25.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1963, Balch Springs's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Ferris (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.