Texas planting calendar
Texas gardening runs on a different clock: in most of the state you plant tomatoes in March, not May, and fall is the best planting season of the year. Pick your region and month below. Not sure which region? Find your zone first.
July
Heat survivalVegetables to plant
- Fall tomato transplants
- Pumpkins for Halloween
Flowers & color
- Fall zinnia seed
- Copper canyon daisy cuttings
This month's tasks
- Survive: water deeply, mulch, harvest
- Plan the fall garden
- Solarize problem beds
How to use this calendar
These windows are tuned to typical frost dates in each region, but any given year can run two or three weeks early or late. Watch the 10-day forecast around your average last frost, and don't be afraid to replant. Texas seasons are long enough for second chances. Your local garden center will also time its stock to these windows, which is the best signal of all: when the tomato tables fill up, it's planting time.
The single most common Texas gardening mistake is planting warm-season crops too late. Summer heat, not winter cold, ends the spring season, a tomato planted in May in Austin will hit 100°F days before it fruits. Plant early, protect from a late frost if needed, and you'll harvest before the furnace arrives.