USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 77038 — Houston, Texas
Averages from Houston Intercont Ap, Tx US, the nearest reporting station, 6.5 miles away.
Plant tender crops after February 13, and expect the first autumn freeze around December 9. That leaves about 300 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- February 13
- First fall frost
- December 9
- Growing season
- 300 days
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
25 to 30°F annual low
Planting calendar for 77038
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| December 5 – December 19 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| December 19 – January 2 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| January 16 – January 30 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| February 13 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by September 16 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 25 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| December 9 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after February 13 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Houston, Texas are past their last freeze. Harvest before December 9, which leaves roughly 300 frost-free days.
ZIP 77038 sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 25 to 30°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.