Before beginning a garden in Texas or to troubleshoot problems in an existing garden or landscape, take into consideration the uniqueness of the area in which the plants are growing. Select varieties that work well within the limits of one region of Texas will falter and die in others.
How Texas Diversity Effects Gardeners
Texans like to brag that theirs is a big state and that is true. Across the 267,399 square miles within the State’s borders is such a variety of growing conditions that one-guide-fits-all does not apply. Texas stretches 773 miles from east to west and 860 miles from north to south. Within that space are mountains, prairies, piney woods, and deserts. To improve a garden’s productivity, it is essential that regional growing characteristics are considered—what to plant, when to plant, how to add nutrients and soil amendments, and special care.
Texas Growing Regions
The Texas A&M Horticulture Services divides Texas into five distinct gardening regions through roughly correspond to the USDA Hardiness zone 6. Each region has several enviromental profiles applicable to gardeners.
Texas Gardening Region 1
Region 1 is the Texas Panhandle called The High Plains. This region has approximately 20 million acres and is an extension of the Great Plains of the central United States. Gardeners in Region 1 must accommodate severe spring storms, hot dry summers, and winters with temperatures below zero degrees. The soil is sandy with areas of shallow soil. Supplemental watering is needed throughout much of the year.
Texas Gardening Region 2
Region 2 is the largest region of Texas running from El Paso in the far west through Lubbock, along the Red River, and down the eastern edge of the state at about the latitude of Houston. Region 2 is in USDA hardiness zone 7. Region 2 also has the greatest soil diversity and rainfall of the five Texas zones. Gardeners in Region 2 will need extra advice tailored to their area’s characteristics beyond hardiness to have successful gardens. Take advantage of Master Gardeners in the county of residence to get specific advice for the gardens in the area.
Texas Gardening Region 3
Region 3 is primarily in the middle of Texas going as far north as Dallas and then southeast to Houston and west to San Antonio. Temperatures range from hot and often humid summers to a few winter days in the teens and twenties. The soils in Region 3 include bottomland black soils with a high content of clay to the more arid and sandy soils of the Edwards Plateau and the llano Uplift. With attention to pest control, pH balancing, and some winter covering, this region of Texas is extraordinary productive for gardeners.
Texas Gardening Region 4
Region 4 stretches across southern Texas and includes the areas around Laredo and Corpus Christi. Freezing temperatures are unlikely, but not impossible in this region. Summers in Corpus Christi are warm usually in the mid-nineties, but the city averages 2 to 3 inches of rainfall per month with an annual average of 30 inches. The area around Laredo is drier averaging only 20 inches of rainfall per year and average summer temperatures in the upper-nineties to over 100°.
Soils in Region 4 tend to be sandy with some clay soil in and along the riverbeds. Gardeners close to the Gulf Coast of Region 4 should be careful planting salt-sensitive plants.
Texas Gardening Region 5
Region 5 is in far south Texas. It borders Mexico and the Gulf. Freezes are unlikely in this area, but possible. This is a primary growing region for many Texas commercial agriculture crops including citrus, vegetables, and cotton. The USDA Hardiness zone for this area is 9B with an average minimum temperature of 25°-30°. Summers are hot and dry with winters being extremely pleasant. Water shortages are a problem in Region 5 and crops as well as home gardens need supplemental water.
No matter where a gardener lives in Texas he can grow shrubs, vegetables, and flowers. To be successful though, it is essential that the unique characteristics of the region drive plant selection and planting times.
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