When to plant in Decatur, AL
Planting dates worked out from Decatur's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 14
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 30
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 31
1 year in 10 by Oct 20
Frost-free days
212
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Decatur Pryor Fld · 6.9 km away · station 179 m, town 171 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 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 8 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 13 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 26 – Feb 2 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 11 |
| Peas | — | Feb 16 – Mar 16 | Apr 12 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | May 27 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 9 – Apr 20 | May 8 |
| Beet | — | Mar 2 – Apr 13 | Apr 21 |
| Potato | — | Mar 9 – Mar 30 | May 18 |
| Kale | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 14 |
| Broccoli | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Mar 2 – Mar 23 | May 1 |
| Cucumber | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 3 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | May 29 |
| Winter squash | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jul 3 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jun 6 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 2 – Mar 23 | May 31 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 17 – Nov 14 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 16 – Mar 16 | Mar 26 |
| Basil | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 10 |
Decatur'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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Apr 14 |
| 1998 | Mar 22 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Mar 28 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Mar 23 |
| 2005 | Mar 18 |
| 2006 | Mar 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 8 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2011 | Mar 2 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Mar 28 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Mar 29 |
| 2016 | Mar 22 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Apr 8 |
| 2019 | Apr 1 |
| 2020 | Mar 7 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Mar 14 |
| 2024 | Mar 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 203 |
| 1998 | 228 |
| 1999 | 209 |
| 2000 | 182 |
| 2001 | 212 |
| 2002 | 224 |
| 2003 | 227 |
| 2004 | 247 |
| 2005 | 221 |
| 2006 | 219 |
| 2007 | 211 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2009 | 193 |
| 2011 | 240 |
| 2012 | 202 |
| 2013 | 210 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 202 |
| 2016 | 233 |
| 2017 | 226 |
| 2018 | 196 |
| 2019 | 212 |
| 2020 | 239 |
| 2021 | 198 |
| 2022 | 217 |
| 2024 | 248 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 21.6 °C |
| 1998 | 23.8 °C |
| 1999 | 23.4 °C |
| 2000 | 23.1 °C |
| 2001 | 22.5 °C |
| 2002 | 23.4 °C |
| 2003 | 22.4 °C |
| 2004 | 22.4 °C |
| 2005 | 23.1 °C |
| 2006 | 24.1 °C |
| 2007 | 23.5 °C |
| 2008 | 22.5 °C |
| 2009 | 22.3 °C |
| 2010 | 24.7 °C |
| 2012 | 23.4 °C |
| 2013 | 22.2 °C |
| 2014 | 22.7 °C |
| 2015 | 23.0 °C |
| 2016 | 24.0 °C |
| 2017 | 22.7 °C |
| 2018 | 23.5 °C |
| 2019 | 23.9 °C |
| 2020 | 22.2 °C |
| 2021 | 22.2 °C |
| 2022 | 23.2 °C |
| 2023 | 23.1 °C |
| 2024 | 24.4 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Decatur Pryor Fld (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.