Midland, TX Frost Dates
Average frost dates, USDA hardiness zone, and growing season length for Midland, Texas.
Gardening in Midland
Permian Basin oil money built Midland, but the Llano Estacado's challenging conditions test every gardener who tries to grow food here.
Zone 7b with 225 frost-free days. West Texas wind, heat, and alkaline soil are the constants. Water scarcity is real — efficient irrigation is essential.
Midland's prosperity means resources for ambitious garden projects. The challenge is making the desert bloom — and West Texas gardeners accept that challenge.
What This Means for Midland Gardeners
The average last spring frost in Midland is around March 25, and the average first fall frost arrives around November 5. That gives you approximately 225 frost-free days to work with.
That's a generous season. You have time for full-size tomatoes, long-season peppers, and even watermelons without the anxiety of racing the frost. Start warm-season seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost to hit the ground running. Fall planting is your second opportunity — garlic, kale, lettuce, and broccoli all go in 8-10 weeks before your first frost for harvest into late autumn.
These dates are based on NOAA 30-year Climate Normal data for the Midland area. Your actual frost dates could shift 2-3 weeks in either direction in any given year. Learn more about our data sources.
What to Grow in Midland
Midland's 225-day growing season is generous — long enough for two full growing windows (spring and fall) with warm-season crops between them. You can grow the full range of vegetables, herbs, and flowers with proper timing. Focus on heat-tolerant varieties for midsummer and cool-season crops for extended fall harvests. Recommended starting points: tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, squash, garlic, kale, and sunflowers.
See the full Texas planting guide for all 40 plants: Texas Planting Calendar. Or enter your zip code for exact planting dates personalized to Midland.
More About Zone 7B
Midland is in USDA Hardiness Zone 7B, which means average annual extreme minimum temperatures between 5°F to 10°F. View the full Zone 7B planting guide.
See the complete planting calendar for Texas: Texas Planting Calendar.
Other Cities in Texas
Frequently Asked Questions
These dates are based on NOAA's 30-year Climate Normal data for the Midland area. They represent historical averages, not predictions. In any given year, the actual last frost could be 2-3 weeks earlier or later. Microclimates within Midland (urban heat islands, hilltops, low-lying valleys) can also shift your local frost dates by a week or more.
Cool-season crops go in 3-4 weeks before your last frost (March 25). Warm-season crops wait until 2 weeks after. You have time for a fall round too — plant cool-season crops again in late summer for harvest into autumn. Enter your zip code for exact dates.