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Place guide

Planting zones in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

This metro spans USDA zones 9a to 10a, so there is no single zone for Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and anyone who gives you one is rounding. 75% of its ZIP codes are zone 9b; the rest are not.

USDA zones 9a–10a 3 zones across 243 ZIP codes
ZIP codes 243 243 have a NOAA station within range
Weather stations 30 NOAA 1991–2020 normals, across 8,839 sq mi

Your ZIP code

Get the exact answer for your address

Everything above describes Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX as a whole. Hardiness zones and freeze dates are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact — enter it and this page will tell you your zone, which NOAA station it comes from and how far away that station is.

Works for all 40,502 US ZIP codes. Freeze dates need a NOAA station within 100 km; where there is none, the page says so rather than estimating one.

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX does not have one planting answer

Its own weather stations disagree about 25 of the 32 crops in this table right now, so any single list would be wrong for part of the metro area. That is not a gap in the data — it is what the data says.

Shortest season
253 days
CONROE MONTGOMERY CO AP, TX US (USW00053902)
Longest season
365 days
GALVESTON SCHOLES FLD, TX US (USW00012923)

112 days of growing season separate those two stations, and both serve ZIP codes in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The ZIP lookup above answers for one address instead of averaging a place that has no average.

Why the hardiness zone does not settle this

A USDA zone is a winter-minimum statistic. It was never a growing-season one, and it does not behave like one: within a single zone the growing season runs a median 54 days wider at the 10th–90th percentile, and annual growing degree days vary by 2.02×.

The zones also overlap rather than stack — 30% of zone 6b freezes before the median zone 6a station. The zone tells you what survives your winter; the station tells you what finishes before your autumn.

The whole dataset behind that →

The growing season at one or more of this metro area's stations crosses 1 January, so a one-year bar would have to start the season after it ended. No chart is drawn rather than a misleading one.

Which zone you are in depends where you are

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX covers 3 hardiness zones. A guide that gives the metro one zone has picked whichever is largest and rounded everyone else into it — which is fine for the 75% in zone 9b and wrong for the other 25%. Here is the actual split.

Zone ZIP codes Share  
9b 182 75%
9a 55 23%
10a 6 2%

Zones are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact even though the metro's is not. The hardiness tool will tell you which one you are in.

Your freeze dates

No freeze range is shown for Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, because the freeze window here crosses New Year, so an earliest-to-latest range would be arithmetic on dates that do not sit in order. The tools below still answer for individual ZIP codes here, and will say what applies.

Your growing season

NOAA publishes a growing-season length for each station, and across the 30 stations serving Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX it runs 253–365 days . That figure is published, not computed from the two freeze dates — subtracting one from the other gives the wrong answer wherever a season crosses New Year. Mean summer high (June–August) runs 89–96 °F , at or above the 90 °F point where cool-season crops bolt and tomato and pepper pollen fails — so midsummer sowings of lettuce and its relatives are worth holding here. Summer rain over the same months runs 10.2–19.4" across those 28 stations, against the rough inch a week — about 13 inches over the same 92 days — that a vegetable garden is usually reckoned to want. At the middle station that is covered, so watering in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is for the gaps between storms rather than the whole season. The inches are NOAA's published normals; the inch a week is a rule of thumb, and it takes no account of a 93 °F summer afternoon drying the soil faster than a cool one.

What survives the winter changes across Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Of 74 perennial fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables and herbs, 46 come through the winter in zone 9a and only 25 in zone 10a. That is a different garden at each end of the same metro.

Zone ZIPs Survive Fail for being too warm
9a 55 46 of 74 25
9b 182 40 of 74 32
10a 6 25 of 74 49

The last column is the counterintuitive one, and it is why the totals do not simply rise as the winters get milder. Most temperate fruit needs a documented number of hours below about 45 °F to break dormancy and set a crop, so an apple fails in a winter that is too warm; currants and rhubarb cook in the summer heat that comes with it. See the full list with reasons.

At least one station here freezes across the new year, which puts the two ends of a spread on opposite sides of the calendar. Drawing it would produce a bar spanning almost the whole year and meaning nothing, so none is drawn.

The 30 stations behind these numbers

The 30 NOAA stations serving Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX A relative sketch of where the stations sit, about 196 kilometres north to south. Each is named with its NOAA identifier in the station list on this page, which carries the same information as text. ALVIN, TX US (USC00410204)ANAHUAC, TX US (USC00410235)ANGLETON 2 W, TX US (USC00410257)ANGLETON BRAZORIA AP, TX US (USW00012976)BAY CITY WTR WKS, TX US (USC00410569)BAYTOWN, TX US (USC00410586)BELLVILLE 6NNE, TX US (USC00410655)BRENHAM, TX US (USC00411048)CLEVELAND, TX US (USC00411810)COLUMBUS, TX US (USC00411911)CONROE MONTGOMERY CO AP, TX US (USW00053902)CONROE, TX US (USC00411956)FREEPORT 2 NW, TX US (USC00413340)GALVESTON SCHOLES FLD, TX US (USW00012923)GALVESTON, TX US (USW00012944)HOUSTON CLOVER FLD, TX US (USW00012975)HOUSTON HOBBY AP, TX US (USW00012918)HOUSTON HOOKS MEM AP, TX US (USW00053910)HOUSTON INTERCONT AP, TX US (USW00012960)HOUSTON NWSO, TX US (USC00414333)HOUSTON SUGARLAND MEM, TX US (USW00012977)HOUSTON-PORT, TX US (USC00414326)HUNTSVILLE MUNI AP, TX US (USW00053903)HUNTSVILLE, TX US (USC00414382)LIBERTY, TX US (USC00415196)LIVINGSTON 2 NNE, TX US (USC00415271)SEALY, TX US (USC00418160)SUGAR LAND, TX US (USC00418728)THOMPSONS 3 WSW, TX US (USC00418996)WILDWOOD, TX US (USC00419754) ~196 km north to south

All 30 NOAA stations whose normals this page quotes, spanning about 196 km north to south. Every one is named with its identifier in the station list below — this page does not single one out, because no one station speaks for a whole metro area.

A relative sketch, not a map with a projection: longitude is adjusted for latitude so the shape is not stretched, and there is no basemap. For the one station nearest a specific address, with its real distance, use the ZIP lookup above.

Every figure above comes from these, and each is named so you can check it. Which station serves a given ZIP code, and how far away it is, varies across the metro — the table below gives it per ZIP code rather than this page averaging it.

Station NOAA ID Last spring freeze First fall freeze Season
Alvin, TX USC00410204 February 14 December 5 298 days
Anahuac, TX USC00410235 February 12 December 6 302 days
Angleton 2 W, TX USC00410257 January 29 December 31 333 days
Angleton Brazoria AP, TX USW00012976 February 13 December 8 301 days
Bay City Wtr Wks, TX USC00410569 February 20 December 3 290 days
Baytown, TX USC00410586 February 20 December 4 292 days
Bellville 6Nne, TX USC00410655 February 28 December 2 279 days
Brenham, TX USC00411048 March 2 November 30 273 days
Cleveland, TX USC00411810 March 7 November 20 259 days
Columbus, TX USC00411911 March 9 November 20 255 days
Conroe Montgomery Co AP, TX USW00053902 March 11 November 19 253 days
Conroe, TX USC00411956 February 24 December 2 285 days
Freeport 2 NW, TX USC00413340 January 27 January 1 338 days
Galveston Scholes FLD, TX USW00012923 January 18 January 7 365 days
Galveston, TX USW00012944 January 25 January 1 348 days
Houston Clover FLD, TX USW00012975 January 31 December 27 328 days
Houston Hobby AP, TX USW00012918 January 30 December 28 330 days
Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX USW00053910 February 19 December 3 290 days
Houston Intercont AP, TX USW00012960 February 13 December 9 300 days
Houston Nwso, TX USC00414333 January 31 December 14 317 days
Houston Sugarland Mem, TX USW00012977 February 2 December 11 318 days
Houston-Port, TX USC00414326 February 2 December 25 327 days
Huntsville Muni AP, TX USW00053903 March 2 November 26 272 days
Huntsville, TX USC00414382 March 1 November 28 272 days
Liberty, TX USC00415196 February 21 December 1 286 days
Livingston 2 Nne, TX USC00415271 March 1 November 24 269 days
Sealy, TX USC00418160 February 28 November 30 276 days
Sugar Land, TX USC00418728 February 9 December 13 305 days
Thompsons 3 Wsw, TX USC00418996 February 15 December 6 297 days
Wildwood, TX USC00419754 March 6 November 21 261 days

These are medians, not averages — NOAA publishes freeze dates as a probability distribution, and half of years freeze later than the date shown.

Every ZIP code in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Zones are published per ZIP code, not per metro area, so this is the exact answer rather than the metro area's average. The station column is the nearest one to that ZIP code's centroid and how far away it is — the same figure the tools use, shown here so you can see which ZIP codes are well covered and which are reaching.

ZIP code USDA zone Nearest NOAA station Distance
77002 9b Houston-Port, TX 8.4 km
77003 9b Houston-Port, TX 6.4 km
77004 9b Houston-Port, TX 8.5 km
77005 9b Houston-Port, TX 14.2 km
77006 9b Houston-Port, TX 10.8 km
77007 9b Houston-Port, TX 12.8 km
77008 9b Houston-Port, TX 14.5 km
77009 9b Houston-Port, TX 10.1 km
77010 9b Houston-Port, TX 7.7 km
77011 9b Houston-Port, TX 2.6 km
77012 9b Houston-Port, TX 3.1 km
77013 9b Houston-Port, TX 7.1 km
77014 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 10.2 km
77015 9b Houston-Port, TX 10.7 km
77016 9b Houston-Port, TX 13.1 km
77017 9b Houston-Port, TX 6.6 km
77018 9b Houston-Port, TX 16.8 km
77019 9b Houston-Port, TX 12.9 km
77020 9b Houston-Port, TX 3.8 km
77021 9b Houston-Port, TX 9.1 km
77022 9b Houston-Port, TX 13.6 km
77023 9b Houston-Port, TX 4.5 km
77024 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 21.7 km
77025 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 15.7 km
77026 9b Houston-Port, TX 7.7 km
77027 9b Houston-Port, TX 16.1 km
77028 9b Houston-Port, TX 8.9 km
77029 9b Houston-Port, TX 2.7 km
77030 9b Houston-Port, TX 12.6 km
77031 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 11.2 km
77032 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 1.5 km
77033 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 6.4 km
77034 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 9.0 km
77035 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 18.2 km
77036 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 14.4 km
77037 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 10.3 km
77038 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 10.3 km
77039 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 8.0 km
77040 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 20.2 km
77041 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 23.5 km
77042 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 16.1 km
77043 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 22.1 km
77044 9b Baytown, TX 18.3 km
77045 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 14.5 km
77046 9b Houston-Port, TX 14.8 km
77047 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 10.6 km
77048 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 4.7 km
77049 9b Houston-Port, TX 15.9 km
77050 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 12.2 km
77051 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 9.6 km
77053 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 18.3 km
77054 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 12.8 km
77055 9b Houston-Port, TX 21.3 km
77056 9b Houston-Port, TX 18.2 km
77057 9b Houston-Port, TX 20.2 km
77058 9b Houston Nwso, TX 10.1 km
77059 9b Houston Clover FLD, TX 15.9 km
77060 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 6.1 km
77061 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 1.1 km
77062 9b Houston Clover FLD, TX 12.2 km
77063 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 18.1 km
77064 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 16.0 km
77065 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 16.3 km
77066 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 13.3 km
77067 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 8.9 km
77068 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 9.4 km
77069 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 9.4 km
77070 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 9.9 km
77071 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 13.6 km
77072 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 11.1 km
77073 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 4.5 km
77074 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 15.4 km
77075 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 2.2 km
77076 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 13.5 km
77077 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 14.7 km
77078 9b Houston-Port, TX 12.5 km
77079 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 18.1 km
77080 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 23.8 km
77081 9b Houston-Port, TX 19.5 km
77082 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 11.5 km
77083 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 8.0 km
77084 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 22.8 km
77085 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 16.5 km
77086 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 14.4 km
77087 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 5.8 km
77088 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 14.1 km
77089 9b Houston Clover FLD, TX 7.7 km
77090 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 8.3 km
77091 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 15.9 km
77092 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 19.9 km
77093 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 13.1 km
77094 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 17.0 km
77095 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 20.1 km
77096 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 18.1 km
77098 9b Houston-Port, TX 13.2 km
77099 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 8.7 km
77204 9b Houston-Port, TX 6.7 km
77301 9a Conroe Montgomery Co AP, TX 5.6 km
77302 9a Conroe Montgomery Co AP, TX 16.4 km
77303 9a Conroe Montgomery Co AP, TX 4.2 km
77304 9a Conroe, TX 3.2 km
77306 9a Conroe Montgomery Co AP, TX 12.5 km
77316 9a Conroe, TX 19.7 km
77318 9a Conroe, TX 14.4 km
77327 9a Cleveland, TX 14.8 km
77328 9a Cleveland, TX 11.4 km
77331 9a Livingston 2 Nne, TX 28.2 km
77336 9b Baytown, TX 20.6 km
77338 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 8.3 km
77339 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 15.3 km
77345 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 21.1 km
77346 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 17.6 km
77354 9a Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 17.7 km
77355 9a Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 21.0 km
77356 9a Conroe, TX 28.0 km
77357 9a Cleveland, TX 24.8 km
77359 9a Huntsville, TX 24.4 km
77362 9a Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 14.9 km
77364 9a Livingston 2 Nne, TX 27.9 km
77365 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 17.0 km
77368 9a Cleveland, TX 25.3 km
77369 9a Wildwood, TX 30.5 km
77371 9a Cleveland, TX 17.5 km
77372 9a Cleveland, TX 15.5 km
77373 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 9.4 km
77375 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 4.2 km
77377 9a Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 11.2 km
77378 9a Conroe Montgomery Co AP, TX 13.8 km
77379 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 3.8 km
77380 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 11.4 km
77381 9a Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 13.2 km
77382 9a Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 14.2 km
77384 9a Conroe, TX 10.8 km
77385 9a Conroe, TX 16.8 km
77386 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 13.4 km
77388 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 8.7 km
77389 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 7.3 km
77396 9b Houston Intercont AP, TX 10.2 km
77401 9b Houston-Port, TX 18.1 km
77406 9b Sugar Land, TX 13.6 km
77407 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 7.3 km
77417 9a Thompsons 3 Wsw, TX 31.5 km
77418 9a Bellville 6Nne, TX 6.1 km
77422 9b Angleton Brazoria AP, TX 19.5 km
77423 9a Sealy, TX 16.8 km
77429 9b Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 13.2 km
77430 9b Angleton 2 W, TX 23.2 km
77431 9b Bay City Wtr Wks, TX 22.8 km
77433 9a Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 22.4 km
77441 9a Sealy, TX 24.2 km
77444 9b Thompsons 3 Wsw, TX 26.0 km
77445 9a Bellville 6Nne, TX 16.4 km
77446 9a Bellville 6Nne, TX 22.7 km
77447 9a Houston Hooks Mem AP, TX 25.9 km
77449 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 25.1 km
77450 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 16.0 km
77451 9a Sealy, TX 36.2 km
77459 9b Thompsons 3 Wsw, TX 10.6 km
77461 9b Thompsons 3 Wsw, TX 17.0 km
77464 9a Sealy, TX 26.0 km
77466 9a Sealy, TX 13.1 km
77469 9b Thompsons 3 Wsw, TX 6.9 km
77471 9a Sugar Land, TX 21.5 km
77473 9a Sealy, TX 4.8 km
77474 9a Sealy, TX 4.3 km
77476 9a Sealy, TX 19.7 km
77477 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 8.5 km
77478 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 4.7 km
77479 9b Sugar Land, TX 6.7 km
77480 9b Bay City Wtr Wks, TX 23.5 km
77481 9b Thompsons 3 Wsw, TX 6.0 km
77484 9a Bellville 6Nne, TX 28.4 km
77485 9a Sealy, TX 16.6 km
77486 9b Angleton 2 W, TX 22.6 km
77489 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 13.8 km
77493 9a Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 30.7 km
77494 9a Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 20.5 km
77498 9b Houston Sugarland Mem, TX 2.1 km
77502 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 9.2 km
77503 9b Houston-Port, TX 13.4 km
77504 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 9.0 km
77505 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 13.6 km
77506 9b Houston-Port, TX 9.1 km
77507 9b Houston Nwso, TX 17.1 km
77510 9b Houston Nwso, TX 13.7 km
77511 9b Alvin, TX 2.1 km
77514 9b Anahuac, TX 11.1 km
77515 9b Angleton 2 W, TX 2.0 km
77517 9b Alvin, TX 9.0 km
77518 9b Houston Nwso, TX 10.1 km
77520 9b Baytown, TX 19.8 km
77521 9b Baytown, TX 11.7 km
77523 9b Baytown, TX 20.4 km
77530 9b Houston-Port, TX 16.7 km
77531 9b Freeport 2 NW, TX 6.4 km
77532 9b Baytown, TX 6.7 km
77533 9a Liberty, TX 19.1 km
77534 9b Angleton 2 W, TX 15.7 km
77535 9b Liberty, TX 12.3 km
77536 9b Houston-Port, TX 16.9 km
77538 9a Anahuac, TX 23.3 km
77539 9b Houston Nwso, TX 5.7 km
77541 9b Freeport 2 NW, TX 6.4 km
77545 9b Thompsons 3 Wsw, TX 16.5 km
77546 9b Houston Clover FLD, TX 4.8 km
77547 9b Houston-Port, TX 4.0 km
77550 10a Galveston, TX 3.1 km
77551 10a Galveston Scholes FLD, TX 2.6 km
77554 10a Galveston Scholes FLD, TX 7.6 km
77555 10a Galveston, TX 2.6 km
77560 9b Anahuac, TX 9.9 km
77561 9a Liberty, TX 10.2 km
77562 9b Baytown, TX 11.2 km
77563 9b Galveston Scholes FLD, TX 17.1 km
77564 9a Liberty, TX 23.4 km
77565 9b Houston Nwso, TX 8.8 km
77566 9b Angleton Brazoria AP, TX 6.4 km
77568 9b Houston Nwso, TX 15.0 km
77571 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 22.4 km
77573 9b Houston Nwso, TX 3.6 km
77575 9b Liberty, TX 4.8 km
77577 9b Alvin, TX 12.1 km
77578 9b Houston Clover FLD, TX 12.3 km
77580 9b Baytown, TX 12.7 km
77581 9b Houston Clover FLD, TX 6.0 km
77582 9a Liberty, TX 13.8 km
77583 9b Thompsons 3 Wsw, TX 21.0 km
77584 9b Houston Clover FLD, TX 10.9 km
77586 9b Houston Nwso, TX 13.0 km
77587 9b Houston Hobby AP, TX 5.8 km
77590 10a Galveston Scholes FLD, TX 13.0 km
77591 9b Houston Nwso, TX 11.5 km
77597 9b Anahuac, TX 7.5 km
77598 9b Houston Nwso, TX 9.0 km
77617 9b Anahuac, TX 32.7 km
77623 9b Anahuac, TX 33.0 km
77650 10a Galveston, TX 20.3 km
77661 9b Anahuac, TX 25.6 km
77665 9b Anahuac, TX 22.0 km
77873 9a Huntsville Muni AP, TX 27.2 km
78931 9a Brenham, TX 14.1 km
78944 9a Brenham, TX 19.6 km
78950 9a Columbus, TX 24.5 km

ZIP-code positions are area centroids, so a large rural ZIP code's listed distance is measured from the middle of its area rather than from any particular address in it.

Your own ZIP

Work out your own dates

Each of these takes a ZIP code and answers for that ZIP alone, citing the station it used and how far away it is. There is a ZIP box in the header of every page.

Other places to compare

These metros span exactly the same zones — 9a–10a — so the same plants are in and out of range across them. The freeze dates and the spring calendar are their own.

Gardening in Texas — zones 6b– 10b covers the whole state: how its 1,979 ZIP codes divide between 9 hardiness zones, and the freeze dates across every NOAA station in it.

Other metro areas in TX:

All 388 metro areas, by state

Gear

If you want to act on this

Each link opens an Amazon search rather than a product we picked. We have not tested these and do not rank them — the search is the honest version, and you choose.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. That costs you nothing extra, and it buys no influence over anything on this site: the dates come from NOAA normals and the zones from the USDA, and no product affects either.

Sources

Where these numbers come from

The hardiness zone is the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, published per ZIP code by PRISM at Oregon State. The freeze dates are NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals, read from every station whose normals cover a ZIP code in this metro. Nothing here is estimated, and no station stands in for another.

This page names no single station on purpose. Picking one to represent a metro sounds reasonable and is not: the station serving the most ZIP codes is an artifact of where ZIP centroids happen to fall, and it selects a lock on the Monongahela for Pittsburgh and a far southern suburb for Chicago. A range across every station is true; a single cited date for a whole metro is not.

All metro areas