When to plant in Plains, TX
Planting dates worked out from Plains's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 29
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 11
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 31
1 year in 10 by Oct 12
Frost-free days
194
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Plains · 0.2 km away · station 1120 m, town 1110 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 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 23 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 7 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 23 |
| Peas | — | Feb 28 – Mar 28 | Apr 24 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 11 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 21 – May 2 | May 20 |
| Beet | — | Mar 14 – Apr 25 | May 3 |
| Potato | — | Mar 21 – Apr 11 | May 30 |
| Kale | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 26 |
| Broccoli | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | May 13 |
| Cucumber | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 18 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 13 |
| Winter squash | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jul 18 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 21 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | Jun 12 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 17 – Nov 14 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 28 – Mar 28 | Apr 7 |
| Basil | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 25 |
Plains'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 |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Apr 1 |
| 1949 | Apr 11 |
| 1950 | Apr 16 |
| 1951 | Apr 16 |
| 1953 | Apr 19 |
| 1955 | Apr 7 |
| 1956 | Apr 19 |
| 1957 | Apr 15 |
| 1958 | Apr 14 |
| 1959 | Apr 14 |
| 1960 | Apr 17 |
| 1961 | Apr 15 |
| 1962 | Apr 2 |
| 1965 | Mar 27 |
| 1967 | May 15 |
| 1968 | Apr 30 |
| 1970 | May 2 |
| 1971 | Apr 7 |
| 1972 | Apr 2 |
| 1973 | Apr 26 |
| 1974 | Apr 16 |
| 1975 | Apr 28 |
| 1976 | Apr 1 |
| 1977 | Apr 5 |
| 1978 | Apr 12 |
| 1979 | Apr 13 |
| 1983 | Feb 20 |
| 1985 | Apr 1 |
| 1986 | Apr 4 |
| 1987 | Mar 31 |
| 1988 | Apr 12 |
| 1989 | Apr 11 |
| 1990 | Apr 7 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 27 |
| 1993 | Mar 16 |
| 1994 | Apr 27 |
| 1995 | Apr 23 |
| 1996 | Apr 15 |
| 1997 | Apr 14 |
| 1998 | Apr 18 |
| 2000 | Mar 19 |
| 2001 | Mar 28 |
| 2004 | Apr 9 |
| 2006 | Mar 26 |
| 2009 | Apr 18 |
| 2010 | Apr 9 |
| 2011 | May 3 |
| 2012 | Mar 21 |
| 2013 | May 4 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Mar 27 |
| 2016 | Apr 3 |
| 2017 | Apr 30 |
| 2018 | Apr 15 |
| 2019 | Apr 14 |
| 2020 | Apr 18 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Mar 31 |
| 2023 | Apr 16 |
| 2024 | Mar 29 |
| 2025 | Apr 6 |
| 2026 | Mar 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 206 |
| 1949 | 183 |
| 1950 | 200 |
| 1951 | 173 |
| 1956 | 194 |
| 1957 | 193 |
| 1958 | 205 |
| 1959 | 204 |
| 1960 | 195 |
| 1961 | 170 |
| 1962 | 219 |
| 1965 | 244 |
| 1967 | 154 |
| 1968 | 169 |
| 1970 | 159 |
| 1971 | 208 |
| 1972 | 211 |
| 1973 | 185 |
| 1974 | 202 |
| 1975 | 173 |
| 1976 | 197 |
| 1977 | 189 |
| 1979 | 193 |
| 1985 | 219 |
| 1986 | 192 |
| 1987 | 223 |
| 1988 | 207 |
| 1989 | 190 |
| 1990 | 197 |
| 1992 | 162 |
| 1993 | 226 |
| 1994 | 195 |
| 1995 | 194 |
| 1996 | 188 |
| 1997 | 193 |
| 2001 | 235 |
| 2004 | 207 |
| 2009 | 194 |
| 2010 | 209 |
| 2011 | 183 |
| 2012 | 200 |
| 2013 | 167 |
| 2014 | 208 |
| 2015 | 223 |
| 2016 | 229 |
| 2017 | 180 |
| 2018 | 182 |
| 2019 | 179 |
| 2020 | 188 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 225 |
| 2023 | 195 |
| 2024 | 235 |
| 2025 | 205 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 23.1 °C |
| 1949 | 20.9 °C |
| 1950 | 21.1 °C |
| 1951 | 22.0 °C |
| 1954 | 23.0 °C |
| 1956 | 23.1 °C |
| 1957 | 21.4 °C |
| 1958 | 22.7 °C |
| 1959 | 22.4 °C |
| 1960 | 22.6 °C |
| 1961 | 21.6 °C |
| 1962 | 22.6 °C |
| 1963 | 23.1 °C |
| 1965 | 22.5 °C |
| 1966 | 21.4 °C |
| 1967 | 21.0 °C |
| 1968 | 20.0 °C |
| 1970 | 21.6 °C |
| 1971 | 21.1 °C |
| 1972 | 21.4 °C |
| 1973 | 20.3 °C |
| 1974 | 20.6 °C |
| 1975 | 20.0 °C |
| 1976 | 20.8 °C |
| 1977 | 22.7 °C |
| 1978 | 22.3 °C |
| 1979 | 21.0 °C |
| 1983 | 21.2 °C |
| 1984 | 20.8 °C |
| 1985 | 21.6 °C |
| 1986 | 21.6 °C |
| 1987 | 21.1 °C |
| 1988 | 20.7 °C |
| 1989 | 21.5 °C |
| 1990 | 21.7 °C |
| 1992 | 21.3 °C |
| 1993 | 22.1 °C |
| 1994 | 23.1 °C |
| 1995 | 21.9 °C |
| 1996 | 22.8 °C |
| 1997 | 21.6 °C |
| 1998 | 23.8 °C |
| 1999 | 22.4 °C |
| 2001 | 23.7 °C |
| 2003 | 22.7 °C |
| 2004 | 22.6 °C |
| 2005 | 22.3 °C |
| 2006 | 22.9 °C |
| 2009 | 22.2 °C |
| 2010 | 22.6 °C |
| 2011 | 24.4 °C |
| 2012 | 23.6 °C |
| 2013 | 22.3 °C |
| 2014 | 22.0 °C |
| 2015 | 22.2 °C |
| 2016 | 22.2 °C |
| 2017 | 22.0 °C |
| 2018 | 23.1 °C |
| 2019 | 22.6 °C |
| 2020 | 23.1 °C |
| 2021 | 22.0 °C |
| 2022 | 24.0 °C |
| 2023 | 23.5 °C |
| 2024 | 23.9 °C |
| 2025 | 23.3 °C |
| 2026 | 25.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1948, Plains's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 1 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Plains (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.