Some early attempts at planting citrus for commercial production were made in the Galveston, Houston, and Beaumont areas in the early 1920s, but they were unsuccessful because of frost damage. Commercial growth was primarily restricted to the Rio Grande Valley area for this reason.

Commercial planting began in the Rio Grande Valley around 1910 and production of these crops in 1920. The work for these fields was provided by Mexican laborers who came to the United States to escape the poverty and the cruelty of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Many of the early laborers had been part of the Mexican elite before coming to Texas.

Over the years, hurricanes and severe freezes have created many setbacks for commercial citrus and vegetable crops. Today, the number of producers and packinghouses in the Texas Rio Grande Valley has been reduced considerably.