Will Parsnips Sweeten in Texas?
Answer: In the Houston area, the climate data says no. The coldest month here averages a minimum of just 43.7°F, well above freezing, which means the…
Gardening in Texas
Everything we have worked out for Texas: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Houston, the last spring freeze runs February 4 to March 1 and the first fall freeze runs December 1 to December 19, USDA zones 6a-10a, 7,280 growing degree days in the year.
Heat, not frost, is what shortens the season here: above 86 °F tomato pollen goes sterile, so growers run a spring crop and an autumn one rather than a single long season. Garlic is the awkward one: only 0 weeks below 40 °F, where it needs six to split into cloves. Chill the cloves before planting, or grow a softneck type.
Elsewhere on the property in Texas: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Will Texas Soil Hold an Asparagus Bed for Fifteen Years?
Yes, in most cases, but the answer hinges on one variable: does the ground drain.
When to Plant Asparagus Crowns in Texas
In the Houston area, asparagus crowns go into the ground around early spring, timed to land near the region’s last frost window of February 4 to March 1.
Growing Sweet Corn in Texas: Will It Ripen?
Yes, sweet corn can ripen in the Houston area of Texas, and the growing season here is long enough to give it real room to work. The catch isn’t frost.
Growing Asparagus in Texas: Fifteen Years in One Spot
A Texas asparagus bed can sit in the same spot for a decade or more, and swapping it out midway isn’t really an option.
When to Sow Pumpkins in Texas
In the Houston area, pumpkins need to flower by early October to early November to ripen before the first fall frost, which lands somewhere between…
Will Pumpkins Ripen Before Frost in Texas?
In most of Texas, the math works only if pollination happens by early fall. Around Houston, first fall frost lands somewhere between December 1 and…
Growing Parsnips in Texas: Will They Sweeten?
In Houston, the coldest month averages a nightly low of 43.7°F, a temperature that barely brushes frost, let alone delivers the sustained freezing spells…
Growing Spinach in Texas: When Will It Bolt?
In the Houston area and along most of the Gulf Coast, spinach bolts fast: by the time spring day length climbs past 13 hours, the crop is already racing…
Growing Pumpkins in Texas: Will They Ripen in Time?
For the Houston area, a pumpkin flower needs to open by roughly early October to have a solid shot at ripening before the season’s first freeze.