What to plant this week in Austin, TX
Austin gardeners are officially in full summer swing as the last frost date of Feb 6 fades into memory, leaving you with a wide window to harvest abundant squash and beans before the Dec 15 chill returns. With nights holding steady above 20°F, focus your energy on protecting heat-sensitive crops like basil and zucchini while enjoying the peak production of okra and sweet corn in our unique Hill Country transition zone.
The next 7 days
Austin, TXGrowing in Austin right now
- Our local clay-heavy soils retain moisture well but require careful watering schedules to prevent root rot during these hot spells; incorporate organic matter or mulch heavily around squash and melons to keep roots cool.
- The rapid summer heat often pushes pollinators away from early morning hours, so hand-pollinating young cucumber and zucchini flowers can ensure better fruit set if bee activity slows down midday.
- While frost is statistically impossible at this time of year, monitor for late spring freezes in higher elevation areas like the Barton Hills if a cold front moves through unexpectedly before harvest season ends.
- Water deeply in the early morning rather than evening to reduce fungal pressure on our humid mornings and avoid washing pollen off flowers before bees can work them.
Sow this week
2 crops- Daikon Radish
- Ornamental Allium
Transplant this week
Nothing is due to go out this week.
Harvest soon
44 crops- Acorn Squash
- Basil
- Borage
- Bush Bean
- Butternut Squash
- Cantaloupe
- Celosia (Cockscomb)
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Delicata Squash
- Edamame
- Fennel
- Flour Corn
- French Marigold
- Garden Verbena
- Garlic
- Gomphrena (Globe Amaranth)
- Gourd (Ornamental/Bottle)
- Honeydew Melon
- Lima Bean
- Loofah (Luffa)
- Malabar Spinach
- Morning Glory
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Pole Bean
- Pumpkin
- Purslane
- Roselle (Cranberry Hibiscus)
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Spaghetti Squash
- Summer Savory
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Thai Basil
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Winter Squash
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Seasonal tips
- Succession sow fast-maturing crops like Daikon Radish or Ornamental Allium to extend your season's variety.
- Mulch around heavy feeders like Okra and Bush Beans to retain moisture as summer heat intensifies.
- Deadhead Zinnias and Cosmos regularly to encourage continuous blooming for pollinators.
Pest & disease watch
- Spider mites are becoming active as temperatures rise, targeting the undersides of basil and vegetable leaves; rinse plants with strong water jets or apply neem oil if populations spike.
- Aphid colonies often explode on young bean vines and sunflowers during hot dry spells, requiring regular inspection and removal before they transmit viruses like Bean Yellow Mosaic Virus.
- Southern Blight can appear in heavy clay soils around squash families like butternut and acorn; look for yellowing leaves at the base of plants and remove infected soil immediately.
Watering this week
Water deeply in the early morning to reduce evaporation, especially during hot spells.
Harvest Edamame and Green Beans every two days to keep plants producing their best pods.
Austin gardening questions
3Can I still sow garlic or transplant hardy crops now that it's past the last frost?
No, garlic must be sown in late summer or fall to establish roots before winter dormancy; attempting to plant it now will result in poor bulb formation. Similarly, most transplants prefer cooler soil temperatures and should wait until autumn for best results.
My zucchini and squash are growing fast but the fruits seem small and misshapen—what's causing this?
This is likely due to inconsistent watering or a lack of pollinators during our recent heatwaves; ensure you water deeply each morning and consider hand-pollinating male to female flowers if bee activity drops.
Is it too late to start my fall garden in Austin given the current harvest window?
Not at all, as our frost-free period extends until mid-December allowing for a robust cool-season crop cycle; you can direct sow daikon radish and ornamental alliums now to mature perfectly before the first hard freeze.
Other cities in zone 9a
9See the full zone 9a guide → · Plan your Austin garden in SproutGuide →