Houston Fall Vegetable Garden: What to Plant by Month
Houston & Gulf Coast Gardening
Houston Fall Vegetable Garden: What to Plant, Start & Plan
A June-through-September timeline for Zone 9
If you garden in Houston or along the Gulf Coast, fall vegetable planting does not start when the pumpkins show up at the grocery store.
It starts now — but not with everything.
June and July are rough here. This is not the time to open every seed packet and pretend our summer is reasonable. For most fall vegetables, the better plan is to use June and July for planning, ordering, bed prep, and only planting the few crops that actually need a long runway.
Shop the Garden Guy Seed Store Hand-picked seeds for Gulf Coast timing →June & July
Plant only the long-season, heat-tolerant crops
For late June and July, I'd focus on crops that need time to grow for fall and can handle our heat better than the delicate cool-season vegetables.
Good Candidates
- Pumpkins
- Winter squash
- Delicata squash
- Butternut-type squash
- Cushaw-type squash
This is the window for the long-season fall fun crops. If you want pumpkins or winter squash for fall, don't wait until September and expect magic.
For most other fall vegetables, June and July are better used for:
Your June–July To-Do List
- Choosing seeds
- Ordering supplies
- Cleaning up tired beds
- Adding compost
- Planning irrigation
- Getting seed trays ready
- Figuring out where your fall garden will actually go
Free Printable · One Page
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What to plant in June, July, August & September — squash, tomatoes, greens, seed potatoes and more, sized to print and stick on the fridge.
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Fall Tomatoes: When & How to Plant in Houston
We almost forgot the best part. Yes, you can grow tomatoes for fall on the Gulf Coast — and a fall crop ripening toward Thanksgiving is one of the great quiet pleasures of Houston gardening.
The whole game is timing. Our problem is never frost in October — it's heat. So we get the plant established during the tail end of summer, let it hold through the worst of it, and let it set fruit once the nights finally cool down.
When To Plant
- Buying grown transplants (my favorite way): set them out from mid-July through August, with late July to mid-August being the sweet spot. A short-season variety can sneak in during very early September if you're feeling brave.
- Growing from seed: start seeds indoors back in June — about 5 to 6 weeks before you want to transplant. If it's already August, skip the seeds and buy a healthy transplant.
I plant the actual grown tomatoes, already up and ready to go. Life is short and our summer is long. Here's where I get them:
Big Box Stores
Affordable and easy to grab on a regular errand. Just go early in the window — the good fall transplants get picked over fast, and you want a sturdy, healthy plant, not the sad one nobody wanted.
Local Nurseries
Usually healthier plants and a better lineup of the heat-tolerant fall varieties that actually work here. The folks behind the counter can tell you what's doing well this season, too.
How To Plant For Gulf Coast Success
- Pick a spot with at least 6 hours of sun
- Plant deep — bury about two-thirds of the stem; tomatoes grow roots all along it
- Loose, well-drained soil with compost worked in
- Put the cage or stake in at planting, not later
- Mulch well to keep the soil cooler and the moisture steady
- Water deeply and consistently — uneven water is what cracks and splits fruit
- A little afternoon shade cloth the first week or two helps a brand-new transplant beat the heat
Heat-Tolerant Varieties That Like It Here
- Celebrity
- Solar Fire
- Heatmaster
- Phoenix
- Florida 91
- Tycoon
- Roma — if you want paste and sauce tomatoes
Growing yours from seed this year? Get them started in June and you'll have your own transplants ready right on time.
Shop the Garden Guy Seed Store Including tomatoes worth starting →We Did the Homework
Best Fall Vegetable Varieties for Houston
No guesswork. These are the varieties that actually perform on the Gulf Coast — leaning on Texas A&M and Extension recommendations, with our own picks called out. We stocked most of them in the seed store so you can grab the right one while you shop.
Look for the A&M badge — that's a Texas A&M–recommended variety.
Broccoli
- Packman A&M
- Premium Crop A&M
- Belstar — strong Southern/fall-garden reputation
- Waltham 29 — older open-pollinated; fine, but behind Green Magic for us
Cabbage
Go compact & early- Bravo A&M
- Market Prize A&M
- Early Jersey Wakefield — classic early; good shorter-season option
- Farao — early, smaller heads; great if you don't need a giant
Pick compact, early cabbages when you can. Giant cabbage sounds fun until Houston weather gets rude.
Cauliflower
Fussier here- Snowball Y Improved A&M
- Snow King — extra-early and heat-tolerant; good for fall
- Amazing — solid home-garden option
- Cheddar or Graffiti — fun colored heads; try these for fun, not as your main crop
Cauliflower is pickier than broccoli or cabbage down here. Start with Snow Crown and earn your stripes.
Kale
Easy win- Dwarf Blue Curled Vates A&M
- Nero di Toscano / Lacinato A&M
- Red Russian A&M
- Green Curled A&M
Kale is one of the easiest fall crops for our people. Hard to go wrong.
Collards
- Georgia Southern A&M
- Vates A&M
- Champion A&M
- Top Bunch A&M
- Blue Max & Flash A&M
Swiss Chard
- Bright Lights A&M
- Lucullus A&M
- Ruby A&M
- Fordhook Giant — practical, productive green chard
Kohlrabi
Frost-tolerant- Early White Vienna
- Early Purple Vienna
- Kolibri
- Kossak & Gigante / Superschmelz — the big storage types
Brussels Sprouts
Only if you enjoy a challenge- Long Island Improved
- Catskill
- Jade Cross
- Diablo
- Churchill
Brussels sprouts are the long-haul project of the fall garden. Worth it if you're patient — humbling if you're not.
Free Printable · Our Best Bets
Don't guess at the seed rack.
Grab our one-page fall variety cheat-sheet — the Texas A&M–backed picks that actually perform here, with a clear best bet for all eight cool-season crops. We did the homework so you don't have to.
Enter your email below and it's yours ↓August
Start your fall veggie trays
August is when the fall vegetable garden really begins.
Start These In Trays
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Collards
- Swiss chard
- Kohlrabi
- Brussels sprouts — if you enjoy a challenge
Don't start these babies in blazing afternoon sun and expect them to be brave. Start them where you can protect them:
Give Seedlings A Fighting Chance
- Bright light
- Morning sun if possible
- Afternoon shade
- Steady moisture
- Good seed-starting mix
August is also a good month to make sure you have your fall seed potatoes ordered or bookmarked — but for Houston and the Gulf Coast, I would not rush them into the ground in August.
September
Plant fall seeds, seed potatoes & tray starts
September is when the fall garden starts getting real.
Direct Sow
- Bush beans / snap beans
- Radishes
- Turnips
- Mustard greens
- Beets
- Carrots — especially later September
- English peas / snap peas
- Cilantro & dill — especially later September, if the heat backs off
Plant your seed potatoes
For Houston and the Gulf Coast, think late September into early October. Use certified seed potatoes — not random grocery store potatoes.
Purple MajestyShop → KennebecShop → Red LaSodaShop → Yukon GoldShop →Potatoes aren't planted from a regular seed packet. You plant seed potatoes — or seed potato pieces — in loose, well-drained soil. Don't plant them in soggy soil. Don't plant them in a spot that holds water. And don't expect them to be happy if the soil is still blazing hot.
Move your August trays outside
Move August tray starts outside when they're sturdy — usually around 4 to 6 weeks old. That usually means:
- Start trays in August
- Plant those tray-grown seedlings in September into October
Kale, collards, and Swiss chard can often go out first if they're strong and the weather is cooperating. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts usually do better when you wait until they're sturdy little transplants — and the Gulf Coast oven has turned down a little.
Free Printable · One Page
Want the whole fall garden on one page?
What to plant in June, July, August & September — squash, tomatoes, greens, seed potatoes and more, sized to print and stick on the fridge.
Enter your email below and it's yours ↓The simple Garden Guy version
One Glance, Whole Season
- June & July: Pumpkins and winter squash — plus planning
- August: Start your fall veggie trays
- September: Direct sow fall seeds, plant seed potatoes, begin moving tray starts outside
- September into October: Keep planting the tray-grown fall crops
Bookmark the seed store, read the packet, and match it to our timing.
Shop the Garden Guy Seed Store Gulf Coast–ready seeds, sorted for our seasons →
— Todd & Sabrina, Garden Guy
Ask Garden Guy · Houston gardening, Gulf Coast vegetable timing,
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