When to plant cabbage in Austin

Where are you growing?

Tight fit

Not realistic in greenhouse

Tight fit in a cold frame

Cabbage in Austin is doable with planning outdoors. 89 suitable days are enough for fast varieties (60 days) but not slow ones (100 days).

Start indoors: December 13 – February 6
Transplant outside: January 24 – March 20
Harvest: March 25 – June 28
Season vs crop: 89 grow days vs 60–100 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): February 20 – January 6

Cabbage in Austin is doable with planning outdoors. 89 suitable days are enough for fast varieties (60 days) but not slow ones (100 days).

Start seeds indoors December 13 – February 6, then transplant January 24 – March 20 so the crop can finish outdoors.

Planting conditions

Start indoors
Harden off
Transplant outside
Grow outdoors
Harvest

Local activity windows for this place and growing method. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost.

Suitable growing days in a row89

Days to harvest60–100 days from transplant

Dec 13 – Feb 6

Start indoors

Jan 17 – Jan 23

Harden off

January 24

Transplant outside

Jan 25 – Mar 24

Grow outdoors

Mar 25 – Jun 28

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Dec 13 – Feb 6	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Harden off	Jan 17 – Jan 23	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	January 24	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	Jan 25 – Mar 24	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Mar 25 – Jun 28	Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.

Based on average frost dates. Adjust a week or two for your conditions.

Planting and growing across the year

Planting is the sow / plant-out window. Growing is daytime air versus this plant’s ideal (59 – 75 °F) and tolerable (39 – 81 °F) ranges.

Planting uses sow / plant-out rules (frost, soil germination, night, and last-sow): green when plantable, blue diagonal when nights or soil are too cold, amber cross-hatch when too hot, faint for other calendar limits. Growing shows daytime air against this plant’s ideal and tolerable ranges across the year.

Key dates

Typical last spring frostFebruary 20

Safer last spring frostMarch 7

Typical first fall frostJanuary 6

Safer first fall frostDecember 26

Frost-free days319

Earliest indoor seed startDecember 13

Latest indoor seed startFebruary 6

Transplant outdoorsJanuary 24 – March 20

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowJanuary 24 – April 22 (89 days)

Expected harvestMarch 25 – June 28

How these dates are judged

Ideal conditions: Daytime air from 59 – 75 °F.
Suitable conditions: Daytime air from 39 – 81 °F.
Last frost and first frost: Typical spring and fall frost dates for Austin, shown in the key dates.
Days to harvest: 60–100 days from transplant, from typical days to harvest.
Sowing window: Dated sow and harvest bars use frost dates, soil minima, night limits, and last-sow count-back from typical crop timing. The year strip and weekly chart use the same window: air ratings only colour weeks inside it.

Growing window for Cabbage: Jan 24 – Apr 22 (89 days)

Planting window for Cabbage: Jan 24 – Mar 20 (56 days)

Outdoors: weekly temperatures and windows

Temperatures across the year for Austin. Shaded bands are this plant’s ideal and tolerable daytime air ranges. Growing is daytime air suitability; Planting is sow / plant-out conditions (same colour language). Window brackets mark each stretch.

Ideal range
Tolerable range
Possible min to max
Average min to max
Suitable
Tolerable
Too cold
Too hot

Selected week · tap a week or use the arrows

Week 4 · Jan 19 – Jan 25

Average 41 to 57 °F · Possible 24 to 76 °F

Growing: tolerable

Planting: not sowable

A week is in range when its average low and high sit inside the tolerance band 39 to 81 °F; it is suitable when that average range also overlaps the ideal 59 to 75 °F band and possible readings stay within 39 °F to 81 °F. Crossing a possible limit, or missing the ideal band, makes it tolerable; a possible low below 39 °F makes it tolerable. When a sowing window is calculated, weeks outside that window are uncoloured even if air is in range.

Based on average frost dates.

Show all 53 weeks

Cover method weekly charts

Outdoor weekly chart is above. Open a cover chart only if you grow under fleece, a cold frame, or an unheated greenhouse.

Other plants for Austin

Calculated by Plan & Plant · Method · Data 2019–2026

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics. Microclimates vary; they are not a guarantee.

How we calculated this

Data: ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo, cell 30.27, -97.74, years 2019–2026 (not a 30-year climate normal yet).
Typical and safer dates: Typical last frost is the date after which half of winters in this sample had no more frost; safer is later in the sample so fewer winters still frosted.
Crop rule: Local windows for Cabbage from frost dates, temperature ratings, and crop timing rules.
Confidence: Provisional — short or thin sample for this place.
Full methodology (algorithm 2026-10-season-6).

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