When to plant in The Colony, TX
Planting dates worked out from The Colony's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 12
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 18
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 15
1 year in 10 by Nov 2
Frost-free days
232
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Grapevine Dam · 22.0 km away · station 178 m, town 180 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 15 – Mar 1 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 6 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 11 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 14 – Jan 21 | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Mar 30 |
| Peas | — | Feb 4 – Mar 4 | Mar 31 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | May 25 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 25 – Apr 8 | Apr 26 |
| Beet | — | Feb 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 9 |
| Potato | — | Feb 25 – Mar 18 | May 6 |
| Kale | Jan 7 – Jan 21 | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 2 |
| Broccoli | Jan 7 – Jan 21 | Feb 18 – Mar 11 | Apr 19 |
| Cucumber | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 1 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | May 27 |
| Winter squash | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jul 1 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | Jun 4 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 18 – Mar 11 | May 19 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 1 – Nov 29 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 4 – Mar 4 | Mar 14 |
| Basil | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 8 |
The Colony'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 |
|---|---|
| 1901 | Mar 20 |
| 1902 | Mar 18 |
| 1903 | Mar 24 |
| 1904 | Mar 4 |
| 1905 | Feb 21 |
| 1906 | Mar 20 |
| 1907 | Feb 15 |
| 1910 | Feb 25 |
| 1911 | Mar 2 |
| 1912 | Mar 25 |
| 1914 | Apr 9 |
| 1915 | Mar 22 |
| 1916 | Apr 9 |
| 1954 | Apr 1 |
| 1955 | Mar 28 |
| 1956 | Mar 16 |
| 1957 | Apr 14 |
| 1958 | Mar 15 |
| 1959 | Mar 22 |
| 1960 | Mar 19 |
| 1961 | Feb 25 |
| 1962 | Mar 16 |
| 1963 | Mar 6 |
| 1964 | Mar 27 |
| 1965 | Mar 27 |
| 1966 | Mar 24 |
| 1967 | Mar 9 |
| 1968 | Mar 23 |
| 1969 | Mar 13 |
| 1970 | Mar 22 |
| 1971 | Mar 27 |
| 1972 | Mar 4 |
| 1973 | Apr 10 |
| 1974 | Mar 25 |
| 1975 | Apr 3 |
| 1976 | Feb 23 |
| 1977 | Mar 13 |
| 1978 | Mar 12 |
| 1980 | Mar 18 |
| 1982 | Mar 7 |
| 1983 | Apr 15 |
| 1984 | Mar 29 |
| 1985 | Feb 16 |
| 1986 | Mar 21 |
| 1987 | Apr 3 |
| 1988 | Mar 19 |
| 1989 | Apr 15 |
| 1990 | Mar 26 |
| 1991 | Mar 3 |
| 1992 | Mar 25 |
| 1993 | Apr 2 |
| 1994 | Apr 7 |
| 1996 | Mar 26 |
| 1997 | Apr 13 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | Mar 15 |
| 2000 | Mar 18 |
| 2001 | Mar 2 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2010 | Mar 22 |
| 2011 | Mar 6 |
| 2012 | Feb 12 |
| 2013 | Mar 26 |
| 2014 | Apr 15 |
| 2015 | Mar 8 |
| 2016 | Feb 7 |
| 2017 | Jan 30 |
| 2018 | Apr 8 |
| 2019 | Apr 1 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 237 |
| 1904 | 251 |
| 1907 | 269 |
| 1911 | 254 |
| 1954 | 217 |
| 1955 | 219 |
| 1956 | 237 |
| 1957 | 195 |
| 1958 | 248 |
| 1959 | 228 |
| 1960 | 235 |
| 1961 | 288 |
| 1962 | 264 |
| 1963 | 240 |
| 1964 | 237 |
| 1965 | 255 |
| 1966 | 222 |
| 1967 | 268 |
| 1968 | 230 |
| 1969 | 246 |
| 1970 | 234 |
| 1971 | 265 |
| 1972 | 262 |
| 1973 | 240 |
| 1974 | 249 |
| 1975 | 223 |
| 1976 | 254 |
| 1977 | 241 |
| 1978 | 260 |
| 1980 | 225 |
| 1982 | 250 |
| 1983 | 222 |
| 1984 | 237 |
| 1985 | 276 |
| 1986 | 234 |
| 1987 | 221 |
| 1988 | 242 |
| 1989 | 187 |
| 1990 | 223 |
| 1991 | 243 |
| 1992 | 224 |
| 1993 | 210 |
| 1994 | 234 |
| 1996 | 227 |
| 1997 | 211 |
| 1998 | 207 |
| 1999 | 232 |
| 2001 | 264 |
| 2002 | 248 |
| 2012 | 273 |
| 2014 | 210 |
| 2015 | 258 |
| 2016 | 285 |
| 2017 | 311 |
| 2018 | 215 |
| 2019 | 212 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1901 | 25.7 °C |
| 1902 | 25.6 °C |
| 1903 | 23.9 °C |
| 1904 | 24.7 °C |
| 1906 | 24.7 °C |
| 1907 | 24.8 °C |
| 1912 | 25.5 °C |
| 1914 | 25.4 °C |
| 1915 | 24.8 °C |
| 1916 | 25.6 °C |
| 1954 | 26.4 °C |
| 1955 | 25.8 °C |
| 1956 | 26.7 °C |
| 1957 | 24.8 °C |
| 1958 | 25.1 °C |
| 1959 | 24.4 °C |
| 1960 | 24.7 °C |
| 1961 | 24.2 °C |
| 1962 | 24.8 °C |
| 1963 | 26.3 °C |
| 1964 | 25.3 °C |
| 1965 | 25.1 °C |
| 1966 | 24.0 °C |
| 1967 | 24.5 °C |
| 1968 | 23.9 °C |
| 1969 | 25.1 °C |
| 1970 | 24.5 °C |
| 1971 | 24.3 °C |
| 1972 | 25.1 °C |
| 1973 | 23.6 °C |
| 1974 | 24.1 °C |
| 1975 | 23.8 °C |
| 1976 | 23.4 °C |
| 1977 | 26.1 °C |
| 1978 | 26.0 °C |
| 1979 | 23.7 °C |
| 1980 | 26.1 °C |
| 1982 | 24.2 °C |
| 1983 | 23.6 °C |
| 1984 | 24.6 °C |
| 1985 | 25.4 °C |
| 1986 | 25.1 °C |
| 1987 | 24.6 °C |
| 1988 | 24.8 °C |
| 1989 | 23.5 °C |
| 1990 | 24.8 °C |
| 1991 | 24.4 °C |
| 1992 | 23.7 °C |
| 1993 | 24.4 °C |
| 1994 | 23.7 °C |
| 1996 | 25.6 °C |
| 1997 | 24.5 °C |
| 1998 | 27.1 °C |
| 1999 | 25.6 °C |
| 2001 | 25.4 °C |
| 2002 | 25.4 °C |
| 2010 | 26.3 °C |
| 2011 | 27.4 °C |
| 2012 | 26.7 °C |
| 2013 | 25.2 °C |
| 2014 | 25.1 °C |
| 2015 | 25.5 °C |
| 2016 | 25.6 °C |
| 2017 | 25.3 °C |
| 2018 | 25.8 °C |
| 2019 | 26.0 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1901, The Colony's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Grapevine Dam (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.