USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 78415 — Corpus Christi, Texas
Averages from Corpus Christi Cabaniss Fld, Tx US, the nearest reporting station, 1.9 miles away.
Plant tender crops after January 15, and expect the first autumn freeze around December 30. That leaves about 353 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- January 15
- First fall frost
- December 30
- Growing season
- 353 days
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
25 to 30°F annual low
Planting calendar for 78415
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| November 6 – November 20 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| November 20 – December 4 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| December 18 – January 1 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| January 15 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by October 7 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by December 16 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| December 30 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 January 15 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Corpus Christi, Texas are past their last freeze. Harvest before December 30, which leaves roughly 353 frost-free days.
ZIP 78415 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.