When Is the Cotton Harvest in Texas?

Texas is a vast state with varied climates and resources. However, one crop is still king in Texas and that crop is cotton. Due to the various rainfalls, temperatures and soils, there is a wide range of planting and harvesting times for cotton in the state. One corner of the state could be ready for harvest while the other still has weeks to go before the cotton is ready.

The Rio Grande Valley area in the southern part of the state is the first region to begin cotton harvesting. Near the cities of Brownsville and McAllen, the cotton harvest begins in July. Parts of Texas have just finished the planting of the seasons' cotton when this area is beginning harvest.

The next region ready for harvest is South Texas. The Hill Country and the Big Bend area will begin harvest in late summer and early fall. Although there isn't as much cotton grown here as in other parts of Texas, it is still a valuable crop.

In the fall, the cotton planted in the Rolling Plains (central Texas) and in the east Texas area (from Dallas over towards Louisiana) is ready to plant. This is the largest cotton producing section of Texas but the cotton fields are spread out. However, plenty of cotton will be worked during October and November.

The High Plains and Rolling Plains part of the state, near Wichita Falls and Amarillo, is the last of the regions' cotton growing areas to be ready for harvest. This is the largest concentration of cotton in Texas so a lot of hard work needs to be done in a short time. The cotton planted here is ready to be picked in December and sometimes stretches into January. One month later, the cotton fields in the Rio Grande Valley are being planted, as the cycle continues for Texas cotton.