FALL GROWING GUIDE · REGION III
When to plant
leaf lettuce
in Central & East Texas.
Leaf lettuce can be a useful later planting after summer vegetables leave the bed. Its calendar should not be confused with the much earlier dates for fruiting crops.
AVERAGE FALL PLANTING DATE
October 10
Direct sow · Frost tolerant
A recurring regional reference from the 2014 Extension guide. This is not a forecast; the source does not specify a closing date for this crop.
What this means for your garden.
Austin, Dallas, Waco and Houston appear within Region III on the historical source map. That grouping is a broad planning reference, not a claim that these cities share identical weather.
For leaf lettuce, the regional reference is October 10. The source provides no last optimum date for this crop. The calendar separates July tomato starts from much later root and leaf crops. Do not treat a pleasant September weekend as a reason to start every vegetable at once.
Your next three steps
- Choose the right start.
For a steady salad supply, plan small separate sowings when conditions suit the variety rather than saving one oversized planting.
- Give the plant a good first week.
Sow a manageable amount and label the variety. Record what germinates well in your own garden so the next small sowing can be based on experience.
- Keep a record you can use next season.
Save your planned date, then change it to the day you actually plant. Record completion in My Garden; the reference calendar stays separate from your own history.
WHY LOCATION MATTERS
One crop. Five different calendars.
How the same crop’s average date compares with Central & East Texas.
Texas PanhandleSeptember 139 days earlierWest TexasSeptember 1525 days earlierCoastal South TexasNovember 122 days laterRio Grande ValleyDecember 152 days laterSource, scope & a little context.
Table 1 supplies average fall planting dates. Table 2 supplies last optimum dates only for the crops it lists. Figure 1 defines the five historical gardening regions; these are not current USDA hardiness zones.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension · Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide (EHT-056) ↗Dates: Table 1, p. 2. Region: Figure 1, p. 3. Source checked 2026-09-27. Editorial care notes are general planning advice; your county Extension office can refine them.
Read our methodology →