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10 Best Vegetables To Grow In Texas (With Pictures)

cucumber and tomato plants

Gardening is one of the best ways to get outdoors and renew your connection with nature. Plus, there’s so much flexibility in this hobby, it requires as much or little commitment as you want. Growing your own vegetables, in particular, is a great way to supplement your groceries.

Many parts of Texas get very harsh during the summer, with little rainfall and lots of scorching sunlight. On the other hand, winter temperatures can produce plant-killing frost, especially in Northern Texas.

It can be very tricky to start and maintain a vegetable garden in these kinds of conditions, but it’s perfectly doable with some dedication. Let’s check out some of the best vegetables you can grow in Texas, and how to go about taking care of them during various seasons.

divider 4The 10 Best Vegetables to Grow in Texas

1. Carrots

Carrots
Image Credit: maxmann, Pixabay
Season Fall
Grow Time 3-4 months (12-16 weeks)
Soil Type & pH Loose soil, pH 6.0-6.5
Water Requirements 1” per week

Carrots are a staple of any vegetable garden because they grow virtually year-round. The main thing to watch out for is whether your soil is suitable for carrots because they do best in loose, sandy soil. With heavier soils and especially clay, carrots struggle to break through the soil.

So long as your soil is suitable, though, you’re golden. You can plant carrots any time from July to February, but they’re usually considered a fall crop. In most central and southern parts of Texas, you can even grow carrots during the winter.


2. Peppers

Bell Peppers
Image Credit: KaiPilger, Pixabay
Season Summer- Fall
Grow Time 2-3 months (60-90 days)
Soil Type & pH Loamy soil, pH 6.0-7.0
Water Requirements 1” per week

What would Texas be without peppers? Various types of peppers do very well in the Texas heat, from sweet bell peppers to spicier Jalapenos and Habaneros. Generally, they even do better as the temperature spikes. Peppers don’t do very well in the cold, so avoid planting these during the fall and winter.

Peppers are typically low-maintenance and can be grown in nearly any garden type. We’d recommend planting your peppers in July, but you can start as early as the springtime if you want an early harvest. You don’t need to worry about spraying for bugs, either, because peppers practically repel insects.


3.  Okra

okra plant budding
Image Credit: elouis73, Pixabay
Season Spring
Grow Time 50-65 days
Soil Type & pH Loamy or sandy soil, pH 6.5-7.5
Water Requirements 1” per week

Okra is a warm-season crop notable for its many uses in Southern cuisine, where it’s enjoyed fried and boiled or in soup. Okra generally does best above 85 degrees, which is perfectly suited for Texas summers. For best results, plant okra during the early spring in mid-April or so for a harvest in late June to early July.

Okra does best when it has a lot of full sun and a medium level of moisture in the soil. Because they have a relatively long growing time, it’s recommended to use compost or other fertilizer to maintain soil nutrients.


4. Lettuce

lettuce being planted
Image Credit: Filmbetrachter, Pixabay
Season Fall
Grow Time 30-60 days
Soil Type & pH Loose soil, pH 6.0-7.0
Water Requirements 1” per week

Loose leaf lettuce is the most-commonly-grown type of lettuce in Texas because it grows relatively fast, but many varieties do well throughout the state. Central Texas is the best climate for lettuce, but northern Texas works as well. In the boiling south, it may get a bit too hot and make the lettuce bitter, but you can try to make it work if you wish!

Lettuce does best at temperatures around 75 degrees Fahrenheit, so we’d suggest starting around October to get a harvest in December and another in February. If you’re cautious about the increasingly cold Texas winters, start your seeds indoors about a month before you expect to have them transplanted outdoors.


5. Tomato

tomato plant
Image Credit: _Alicja_, Pixabay
Season Summer
Grow Time 2-3+ months (60-100 days)
Soil Type & pH Loamy/sandy soil, pH 6.2-6.8
Water Requirements 1-2” per week

While technically a fruit, tomatoes have a place in every veggie garden. Tomatoes take a bit of work to grow in Texas because of their specific preferences, plus their short season compared to other crops. With that said, they do well in both central and southern Texas as long as you plan ahead.

Tomatoes will grow in cool conditions but won’t produce fruit until it gets 80 degrees or so, so you need to get them started early. We’d recommend starting your tomato plants in February so they’re ready to produce fruit during the early and mid-summer months.


6. Asparagus

Asparagus
Image Credit: Couleur, Pixabay
Season Spring
Grow Time 3 years
Soil Type & pH Sandy soil, pH 6.5-7.0
Water Requirements 1-2” per week

We’d recommend northern Texans try growing asparagus, which does well in colder temperatures and milder summers but not so well with sweltering humidity. The only caveat with asparagus is that you won’t see a harvest for as long as three years, but it keeps producing for over a decade if you can stick it out.

If you’re growing potatoes as well, keep them well away from your asparagus — potato growth is stunted when planted near asparagus. Similarly, you’ll want to keep asparagus away from allium veggies like onion, leek, and garlic, because they stunt asparagus growth.


7. Mustard Greens

mustard greens plant
Image Credit: alsterkoralle, Pixabay
Season Spring
Grow Time 6 weeks
Soil Type & pH Fertile soil, pH 6.5-6.8
Water Requirements 2” per week

Like other leafy greens, mustard greens are cool weather crops that do very well in central and southern Texas falls and winters. You can try to grow them in northern Texas, but they don’t do well in freezing temperatures even though they’re typically frost-tolerant.

Mustard greens are a great addition to any Texas fall garden that includes such veggies as lettuce, broccoli, and radishes. Start these in the spring if you want the seeds, which do best in the summer, or during the fall for leafy greens.


8. Squash

squash on the ground
Image Credit: Innviertlerin, Pixabay
Season Any
Grow Time Varies by type
Soil Type & pH Sandy soil, pH 6.0-6.5
Water Requirements 1” per week

A favorite of vermin everywhere, squash is an essential part of any vegetable garden. Squash is a known cross-pollinator that can enhance yields from your other plants, like tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. It certainly doesn’t hurt that squash tolerates both heat and cold very well.

Squash does well in any Texas climate, and you can start them in the spring for summer variants or in the fall so the plants can mature before the first killing frost. Zucchini is one type of squash that does well in the summer, whereas winter varieties include butternut and pumpkin.


9. Broccoli

Broccoli
Image Credit: ImageParty, Pixabay
Season Spring
Grow Time 80-100 days
Soil Type & pH Sandy/clay soil, pH 6.0-6.8
Water Requirements 1-1.5” per week

Usually grown in cooler climates, broccoli is viable in central and northern Texas during the mild fall and late winter months. Ideally, you’d start broccoli from late September to early November, but you may wait until after February if you’re worried about frost. Broccoli is the easiest of the cole veggie family to grow, while cauliflower is notoriously finicky. Opt for broccoli if you’re a beginner or aren’t sure of your green thumb yet, but want some greens.

For a head start, start your broccoli seeds indoors during August to shield them from the sun, or early February to avoid frost. Once the weather is nice and mild, you can transplant them to the garden for a harvest about 3 months later.

Related Read: 11 Best Vegetables to Grow in Ohio (With Pictures)


10. Cucumber

Cucumbers
Image Credit: krzys16, Pixabay
Season Summer
Grow Time 50-70 days
Soil Type & pH Sandy loam soil, pH 5.5-7.0
Water Requirements 1-2” per week

Cucumbers are an extremely versatile vegetable good for pickling, cooking, or eating raw. We’re happy to report that cucumbers can be grown in any part of Texas, but it’s best to start them during the early spring. Sometimes they don’t do so well during intense Texas summers, so they might not produce at that time.

Cucumbers grow on a vine and need a trellis, like green beans. This makes them great veggies to grow along a fence. We’d suggest planting cucumber after the last frost of the year, in April or so. If you don’t have the space for a trellis, cucumbers also grow quickly in small cages.


Featured Image Credit: planet_fox, Pixabay

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