Dallas, Texas: freeze dates & growing season

Three different things get called “Dallas” here, so this page is explicit about all three: the metro label (Dallas), the anchor geography (Census ZCTA 75201, a downtown ZIP-code area), and the climate record (the NOAA station below). Windows are calculated from the station — not from your street address.

Climate basis: NOAA station Dallas Love Fld, TX (USW00013960), 5 mi (9 km) from the ZCTA 75201 centroid, elevation 440 ft, on the 1991–2020 climate normals.

Last spring freezeMarch 21-in-10 after Mar 19

First fall freezeNovember 291-in-10 before Nov 10

Frost-free season≈ 272 daysmedian at 32°F

Hard freeze, 28°Feb 18 – Dec 12kills even hardy greens

USDA zone8b15 to 20°F winter low — not frost timing

The year

indoors under lights
in the garden
frost-free season
1-in-10 years still freeze to Mar 19

The Dallas year: hatched areas are the freeze-likely seasons in 1991–2020 normals.

What that means in practice

Tomatoes: plant March 9 – March 23
Peas: plant January 19 – February 2
Garlic: plant cloves December 6 – December 13

All 79 crops in Dallas

These windows describe typical years (1991–2020 climate normals), not this year's forecast. Freezes happen outside them — especially in frost pockets, valleys, and urban edges. Watch the forecast before committing tender plants.

Check a specific ZIP instead

Metro climates vary — elevation, water, and urban heat shift freeze dates by days to weeks. Look up your exact ZIP:

Nearby reviewed metros

Austin, TX · Oklahoma City, OK · Houston, TX · Tulsa, OK · San Antonio, TX