FALL GROWING GUIDE · REGION V
When to plant
tomatoes
in Rio Grande Valley.
A fall tomato crop starts earlier than the cool weather it will eventually grow into. Use established transplants rather than beginning with outdoor seed at the reference date.
AVERAGE FALL PLANTING DATE
August 1
Transplant · Frost sensitive
LAST OPTIMUM DATE
September 1
Separate guidance from source Table 2.
A recurring regional reference from the 2014 Extension guide. This is not a forecast or a guaranteed growing window.
What this means for your garden.
The far southern tip of Texas, including McAllen on the source map, is Region V. This is the latest fall schedule in the five-region guide, with some sowings extending to mid-December.
For tomatoes, the regional reference is August 1, with September 1 listed separately as the last optimum date. Dates that look late compared with northern gardens are intentional in this regional table. Check the source region before importing advice from a different climate.
Your next three steps
- Choose the right start.
Compare the last optimum date with your intended transplant date. If that window has passed, a shorter-season cool-weather crop may be a better use of the bed.
- Give the plant a good first week.
Check the root ball while the plant settles in. Keep moisture consistent without leaving the roots in saturated soil, and put supports in place while plants are small.
- 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 Rio Grande Valley.
Texas PanhandleJune 161 days earlierWest TexasJune 1547 days earlierCentral & East TexasJuly 131 days earlierCoastal South TexasJuly 1022 days earlierSource, 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; last optimum date: Table 2, p. 3. 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 →