When to plant in Alabaster, AL
Planting dates worked out from Alabaster's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 8
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 17
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 13
1 year in 10 by Nov 1
Frost-free days
240
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Alabaster Shelby Co Ap Asos · 8.0 km away · station 172 m, town 153 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 13 – Jan 20 | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Mar 29 |
| Peas | — | Feb 3 – Mar 3 | Mar 30 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 24 – Apr 7 | Apr 25 |
| Beet | — | Feb 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 8 |
| Potato | — | Feb 24 – Mar 17 | May 5 |
| Kale | Jan 6 – Jan 20 | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 1 |
| Broccoli | Jan 6 – Jan 20 | Feb 17 – Mar 10 | Apr 18 |
| Cucumber | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 23 |
| Winter squash | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 31 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 17 – Mar 10 | May 18 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 30 – Nov 27 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 3 – Mar 3 | Mar 13 |
| Basil | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 4 |
Alabaster's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1997 | Apr 18 |
| 1998 | Mar 22 |
| 1999 | Mar 16 |
| 2000 | Mar 13 |
| 2001 | Mar 10 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Feb 28 |
| 2005 | Mar 4 |
| 2006 | Mar 26 |
| 2007 | Apr 8 |
| 2008 | Mar 25 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 7 |
| 2011 | Feb 13 |
| 2012 | Feb 13 |
| 2013 | Mar 27 |
| 2014 | Mar 26 |
| 2015 | Mar 7 |
| 2016 | Feb 27 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Mar 15 |
| 2019 | Mar 7 |
| 2020 | Feb 28 |
| 2021 | Feb 21 |
| 2022 | Mar 13 |
| 2023 | Mar 20 |
| 2024 | Mar 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 205 |
| 1997 | 210 |
| 1998 | 228 |
| 1999 | 231 |
| 2000 | 210 |
| 2001 | 255 |
| 2002 | 244 |
| 2003 | 237 |
| 2004 | 276 |
| 2005 | 257 |
| 2006 | 231 |
| 2007 | 212 |
| 2008 | 217 |
| 2009 | 232 |
| 2010 | 244 |
| 2011 | 258 |
| 2012 | 283 |
| 2013 | 230 |
| 2014 | 232 |
| 2015 | 259 |
| 2016 | 265 |
| 2017 | 248 |
| 2018 | 244 |
| 2019 | 240 |
| 2020 | 274 |
| 2021 | 278 |
| 2022 | 245 |
| 2023 | 225 |
| 2024 | 255 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 23.2 °C |
| 1996 | 22.1 °C |
| 1997 | 21.7 °C |
| 1998 | 24.0 °C |
| 1999 | 23.9 °C |
| 2000 | 24.1 °C |
| 2001 | 23.2 °C |
| 2002 | 24.5 °C |
| 2003 | 23.3 °C |
| 2004 | 23.4 °C |
| 2005 | 23.5 °C |
| 2006 | 24.4 °C |
| 2007 | 24.3 °C |
| 2008 | 23.8 °C |
| 2009 | 23.2 °C |
| 2010 | 25.2 °C |
| 2011 | 24.4 °C |
| 2012 | 24.3 °C |
| 2013 | 23.3 °C |
| 2014 | 24.1 °C |
| 2015 | 24.4 °C |
| 2016 | 24.9 °C |
| 2017 | 24.1 °C |
| 2018 | 24.5 °C |
| 2019 | 24.9 °C |
| 2020 | 23.6 °C |
| 2021 | 23.3 °C |
| 2022 | 24.6 °C |
| 2023 | 24.3 °C |
| 2024 | 24.9 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Alabaster Shelby Co Ap Asos (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.