Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in Texas
In the Houston area, first fall frost typically arrives between December 1 and December 19, and the coldest month averages a nightly low of 43.7 F.
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 Carrots Fork in Texas Soil?
The straightforward answer: on Texas’s representative soil, yes, carrots are likely to fork unless the ground gets amended or the bed gets raised.
When to Sow Beets in Texas
In the Houston area, beet seed goes into the ground about two to three weeks before the last spring frost, which NOAA’s 30-year data puts between…
Beet Soil in Texas: What the Root Will Meet
Texas’s representative soil is Houston Black, a heavy clay that cracks when dry and turns to glue when wet, alkaline and dense in a way that fights the…
Growing Carrots in Texas: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
If you’re planting carrots in Texas, the soil under your boots is more likely to fight you than help you.
Growing Beets in Texas: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
Texas beets face two separate threats: a heavy alkaline clay that swings between concrete-hard and sticky glue, and a spring window that can turn hot…
When to Start Pepper Seed in Texas
Start pepper seed indoors 8 to 10 weeks before you plan to set transplants outside, timing that back-count to when soil hits 60°F after your last frost.
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Texas
Peppers stop setting fruit in Texas because both ends of the state’s temperature swing push blossoms outside the narrow window where pollen stays viable…
When to Plant Potatoes in Texas: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
For the Houston area, the counting-back math lands on a planting window in the second half of January to mid-February: take the NOAA last-frost range of…
Potato Varieties That Suit Texas
Texas gardeners get the best results from early and mid-season potatoes planted for a spring harvest, not a summer one.