USDA Zone 8b
Zone 8 · The Deep South & Gulf Rim
Average annual extreme minimum temperature: 15 to 20 °F (-9.4°C to -6.7°C).
The Deep South's interior and coastal plain, most of settled Texas, north Florida — 10 to 20°F winters where the fall garden becomes the main event and the first citrus appears at the warm edge.
By the numbers
- Median last frost
- March 18
- Median first frost
- November 13
- Median season
- 240 days
- ZIPs tracked
- 2,652
Medians across every ZIP we track in zone 8b, derived from NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Look up your own ZIP for local dates — within a zone, frost varies by weeks.
Where you'll find zone 8
A broad Southern belt: South Carolina's Midlands (8a) and Lowcountry (8b) — together 89% of SC ZIPs in our data — most of Georgia and the Gulf states' interiors, the heart of Texas from Fort Worth (8b) through El Paso, and inland north Florida. Half of Texas ZIPs in our data sit in zone 8.
Vegetables that earn their keep
- Frost-tolerant fall crops (Texas A&M list): beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collards, garlic, kale, lettuce, mustard, onions, parsley, spinach, turnips
- Frost-susceptible summer crops: beans, melons, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peas (southern), peppers, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, watermelon
- Coastal plain bonus: spring plantings run 2–3 weeks earlier and fall extends later than inland (Clemson)
Fruits & perennials that overwinter
- Figs, fully at home now (NC State's zone-7 caveats relax here)
- Cold-hardy citrus at the warm edge: satsuma and kumquat — satsumas "especially suitable for cold locations" (UF)
- Low-chill peaches: UF's program breeds for ~100–450 chill hours ('FloridaCrest' 350, 'UFGold' 200)
- The temperate orchard still works: apples, brambles, tart cherries in the cooler half
Fall is the better spring
Texas A&M's fall-gardening guide states the rule plainly: "planting at the proper time is probably the most important factor in successful fall gardening" — and the proper time is counted backward from your first killing frost, not forward from a calendar date. The fall garden in zone 8 routinely outperforms spring: pests decline, nights cool, and the frost-tolerant roster (broccoli through turnips) shrugs off the first freezes.
The blossom-drop ceiling
Tomatoes stop setting when nights stay above 70°F (UGA — the ideal is 70–85°F days over 65–70°F nights). That's the real midsummer wall in the Deep South, and it's why experienced gardeners here plant tomatoes twice: early spring for a June–July crop, and midsummer transplants for the superior fall set.
August transplanting is its own skill
Setting fall transplants in late-summer heat is the hard part — they need about two weeks to root in, and overwatering in hot soil rots them (Texas A&M). Tucking new transplants into the shade of taller standing crops, and watering to a 6-inch depth only as needed, gets them through.
Chill hours enter the ledger
Zone 8 accumulates plenty of winter chill for most temperate fruit, but the warm edge is where variety selection starts to matter: low-chill peaches from UF's breeding program (200–450 hours) insure against mild winters, and satsumas and kumquats — the cold-hardiest citrus — become possible in protected spots.
Plant guides, timed to your frost dates
Every guide gives its planting calendar relative to your last frost — the dates above (or your ZIP's) drop straight in.