When to plant in Blue Ridge, AL
Planting dates worked out from Blue Ridge's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Last spring frost
- Early · riskyFeb 19 years in 10 still get a later frost
- TypicalMar 8about half of years get a later frost
- Safe to plant outApr 11 year in 10 gets a later frost
Hardy crops like peas and spinach are timed from the typical date. Wait for the safe date before planting out tomatoes, peppers and squash.
First fall frost
- EarlyOct 261 year in 10 has frost by then
- TypicalNov 9about half of years have had frost
- LateNov 269 years in 10 have had frost by then
A typical year has 247 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.
Station used: Montgomery 6sw · 26.0 km away · station 69 m, town 112 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 4 – Feb 18 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 26 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 31 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 4 – Jan 11 | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 20 |
| Peas | — | Jan 25 – Feb 22 | Mar 21 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | May 14 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 16 |
| Beet | — | Feb 8 – Mar 22 | Mar 30 |
| Potato | — | Feb 15 – Mar 8 | Apr 26 |
| Kale | Dec 28 – Jan 11 | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 23 |
| Broccoli | Dec 28 – Jan 11 | Feb 8 – Mar 1 | Apr 9 |
| Cucumber | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 21 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 16 |
| Winter squash | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | Jun 20 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | May 24 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 8 – Mar 1 | May 9 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 26 – Nov 23 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 25 – Feb 22 | Mar 4 |
| Basil | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 28 |
Blue Ridge'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 |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Mar 23 |
| 2005 | Mar 4 |
| 2006 | Mar 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 8 |
| 2008 | Mar 26 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2011 | Feb 14 |
| 2012 | Feb 13 |
| 2013 | Mar 28 |
| 2014 | Mar 26 |
| 2015 | Mar 8 |
| 2016 | Feb 27 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Jan 31 |
| 2019 | Jan 31 |
| 2020 | Feb 2 |
| 2021 | Feb 17 |
| 2022 | Mar 13 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Mar 19 |
| 2025 | Mar 21 |
| 2026 | Mar 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 247 |
| 2005 | 235 |
| 2006 | 220 |
| 2007 | 212 |
| 2008 | 215 |
| 2009 | 224 |
| 2010 | 242 |
| 2011 | 248 |
| 2012 | 267 |
| 2013 | 211 |
| 2014 | 220 |
| 2015 | 259 |
| 2016 | 265 |
| 2017 | 248 |
| 2018 | 300 |
| 2019 | 275 |
| 2020 | 301 |
| 2021 | 316 |
| 2022 | 219 |
| 2023 | 225 |
| 2024 | 211 |
| 2025 | 223 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 23.6 °C |
| 2005 | 24.3 °C |
| 2006 | 25.2 °C |
| 2007 | 25.0 °C |
| 2008 | 24.6 °C |
| 2009 | 24.6 °C |
| 2010 | 26.1 °C |
| 2011 | 25.5 °C |
| 2012 | 24.9 °C |
| 2013 | 24.2 °C |
| 2014 | 25.1 °C |
| 2015 | 25.9 °C |
| 2016 | 26.1 °C |
| 2018 | 26.5 °C |
| 2019 | 26.2 °C |
| 2020 | 25.2 °C |
| 2021 | 25.3 °C |
| 2022 | 24.3 °C |
| 2023 | 23.9 °C |
| 2024 | 24.5 °C |
| 2025 | 24.6 °C |
| 2026 | 25.4 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Montgomery 6sw (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.