Small-space food gardening in the Coastal Bend

A plain reference for growing vegetables, herbs and a few fruits in pots, raised beds and small yards around Corpus Christi, Rockport, Port Aransas and the rest of Nueces and Aransas counties.

The climate in brief

The Coastal Bend has a long growing season, a short and usually mild winter, and a hot, humid summer. That combination shapes everything else on this site. The table below collects the main numbers, each taken from the source named in the last column.

Item	Figure	Source
USDA hardiness zone, Corpus Christi	10a on the 2023 map (average coldest winter night 30–35°F); 9b on the previous map	Texas A&M AgriLife Extension zone table
How zones are defined	Average annual extreme minimum winter temperature, in 10°F zones and 5°F half zones	USDA
Aransas and San Patricio counties	Described as USDA Zone 9 in a 2018 Master Gardener guide	Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners
Typical rainfall, Aransas/San Patricio	About 30 inches a year, less than Victoria (39) or Houston (47)	Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners

For Rockport, Port Aransas or any other address, enter your ZIP code at the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map site to see the current zone. The AgriLife zone table lists only Corpus Christi for this area.

Two seasons, not one

Most of the year's vegetable work happens in two windows. In spring, warm-season crops such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant go in from about February, with protection from cold, and the local Master Gardener checklist says to finish planting warm-season crops by mid-April. Heat-loving crops such as okra, southern peas and sweet potatoes follow in May. In late summer and fall, a second round of tomatoes and peppers goes in, followed by cool-season crops such as broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, spinach and root crops that grow through the mild winter.

Summer is the gap. With close to a month of 90-degree days in August, most cool-season crops cannot grow then, and many warm-season crops slow down. The mild winter works the other way: crops that are spring-only in much of Texas can be planted well into late fall here. The planting calendar lists dates crop by crop.

What does well in containers and raised beds

AgriLife's container guide names tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, green onions, beans, lettuce, squash, radishes and parsley as well suited to containers. Pole beans and cucumbers also work but need room to vine, and small-fruited tomatoes can grow in hanging baskets. Its minimum container sizes:

Container size	Crops (plants per container)
5 gallons	Tomato, eggplant or squash (1); pepper (1–2)
2 gallons	Broccoli (1); green bean or turnip (2)
1 gallon	Cucumber (1); leaf lettuce or spinach (2); carrot (2–3); parsley or radish (3); green onion (3–5)

Containers must drain well. Most vegetables need full sun, with fruiting crops needing the most, while lettuce, spinach, parsley, onions and radishes tolerate partial shade. Expect to water about once a day, and flush pots with plain tap water once a week to wash out built-up salts. Nueces Master Gardeners keep demonstration raised beds at the South Texas Botanical Gardens to show flowers and vegetables that handle Coastal Bend heat and dry spells.

Pages on this site

Vegetable planting calendar: spring and fall dates by crop.
Farmers markets and farm stands: confirmed markets and what is in season.
Salt, wind and sandy soil: gardening close to the water.
Hurricane season and the garden: before and after a storm.
About this site: who publishes it and how pages are sourced.

Sources