When to plant in Houston, TX
Planting dates worked out from Houston's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Frost is rare in Houston: in 8 of the last 18 springs there was none at all. Frost dates matter less here than heat, so the planting table below is left out.
Safe to plant out
Mar 1
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Jan 21
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 19
1 year in 10 by Nov 27
Frost-free days
326
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Houston-Port · 8.3 km away · station 6 m, town 12 m. How we match towns to stations
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 |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Jan 16 |
| 1994 | Feb 9 |
| 1996 | Mar 9 |
| 1997 | Jan 18 |
| 1999 | Jan 4 |
| 2001 | Feb 18 |
| 2002 | Mar 4 |
| 2003 | Feb 28 |
| 2007 | Feb 17 |
| 2008 | Jan 4 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 305 |
| 1992 | 315 |
| 1993 | 328 |
| 1994 | 324 |
| 1995 | 341 |
| 1996 | 282 |
| 1997 | 346 |
| 1998 | 357 |
| 1999 | 360 |
| 2000 | 361 |
| 2001 | 315 |
| 2002 | 297 |
| 2003 | 305 |
| 2005 | 363 |
| 2006 | 363 |
| 2007 | 316 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 26.7 °C |
| 1992 | 26.3 °C |
| 1993 | 26.5 °C |
| 1994 | 26.4 °C |
| 1995 | 26.9 °C |
| 1996 | 26.8 °C |
| 1997 | 26.4 °C |
| 1998 | 27.9 °C |
| 1999 | 27.3 °C |
| 2000 | 27.4 °C |
| 2001 | 26.9 °C |
| 2002 | 27.1 °C |
| 2003 | 27.4 °C |
| 2005 | 27.7 °C |
| 2006 | 27.4 °C |
| 2007 | 26.6 °C |
| 2008 | 27.6 °C |
| 2011 | 28.2 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Houston-Port (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.