When to plant in Fort Novosel, AL
Planting dates worked out from Fort Novosel's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 27
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 3
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 25
1 year in 10 by Nov 7
Frost-free days
260
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Enterprise 4 W · 17.4 km away · station 103 m, town 106 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 | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 21 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 26 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 30 – Jan 6 | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 15 |
| Peas | — | Jan 20 – Feb 17 | Mar 16 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 9 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 11 |
| Beet | — | Feb 3 – Mar 17 | Mar 25 |
| Potato | — | Feb 10 – Mar 3 | Apr 21 |
| Kale | Dec 23 – Jan 6 | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 18 |
| Broccoli | Dec 23 – Jan 6 | Feb 3 – Feb 24 | Apr 4 |
| Cucumber | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 16 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 11 |
| Winter squash | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | Jun 15 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 19 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 3 – Feb 24 | May 4 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 11 – Dec 9 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 20 – Feb 17 | Feb 27 |
| Basil | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 23 |
Fort Novosel'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 |
|---|---|
| 1967 | Feb 27 |
| 1968 | Mar 25 |
| 1969 | Mar 27 |
| 1970 | Mar 15 |
| 1971 | Mar 21 |
| 1972 | Feb 21 |
| 1973 | Feb 22 |
| 1974 | Mar 1 |
| 1978 | Mar 6 |
| 1979 | Mar 26 |
| 1980 | Mar 4 |
| 1981 | Feb 13 |
| 1982 | Mar 8 |
| 1983 | Mar 22 |
| 1984 | Mar 10 |
| 1985 | Feb 16 |
| 1986 | Mar 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1988 | Mar 16 |
| 1989 | Feb 26 |
| 1990 | Jan 26 |
| 1991 | Feb 17 |
| 1992 | Mar 11 |
| 1993 | Mar 16 |
| 1994 | Feb 27 |
| 1995 | Mar 9 |
| 1996 | Mar 11 |
| 1997 | Feb 12 |
| 1998 | Mar 14 |
| 1999 | Feb 22 |
| 2000 | Feb 6 |
| 2001 | Jan 26 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Feb 9 |
| 2005 | Mar 2 |
| 2006 | Mar 26 |
| 2011 | Feb 13 |
| 2012 | Feb 14 |
| 2013 | Mar 28 |
| 2014 | Mar 27 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1967 | 250 |
| 1968 | 232 |
| 1969 | 232 |
| 1970 | 246 |
| 1971 | 245 |
| 1973 | 280 |
| 1978 | 278 |
| 1979 | 248 |
| 1980 | 259 |
| 1981 | 280 |
| 1982 | 242 |
| 1983 | 247 |
| 1986 | 282 |
| 1987 | 220 |
| 1988 | 257 |
| 1990 | 312 |
| 1991 | 259 |
| 1992 | 262 |
| 1993 | 229 |
| 1994 | 287 |
| 1995 | 247 |
| 1996 | 260 |
| 1999 | 281 |
| 2000 | 287 |
| 2001 | 332 |
| 2002 | 244 |
| 2003 | 238 |
| 2004 | 307 |
| 2005 | 260 |
| 2012 | 283 |
| 2013 | 229 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1967 | 23.5 °C |
| 1968 | 24.3 °C |
| 1969 | 24.0 °C |
| 1970 | 24.5 °C |
| 1971 | 23.3 °C |
| 1972 | 23.7 °C |
| 1973 | 24.1 °C |
| 1978 | 24.6 °C |
| 1979 | 24.0 °C |
| 1980 | 25.2 °C |
| 1981 | 24.6 °C |
| 1982 | 24.0 °C |
| 1983 | 23.2 °C |
| 1984 | 23.1 °C |
| 1986 | 24.9 °C |
| 1987 | 24.3 °C |
| 1988 | 23.9 °C |
| 1989 | 23.6 °C |
| 1990 | 24.5 °C |
| 1992 | 23.3 °C |
| 1993 | 23.8 °C |
| 1994 | 23.5 °C |
| 1995 | 24.3 °C |
| 1996 | 23.7 °C |
| 1997 | 23.1 °C |
| 1998 | 25.1 °C |
| 1999 | 24.7 °C |
| 2000 | 25.1 °C |
| 2001 | 24.3 °C |
| 2002 | 25.1 °C |
| 2003 | 24.3 °C |
| 2004 | 24.1 °C |
| 2005 | 24.2 °C |
| 2006 | 25.5 °C |
| 2011 | 25.1 °C |
| 2012 | 24.5 °C |
| 2013 | 23.6 °C |
| 2014 | 24.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1967, Fort Novosel's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Enterprise 4 W (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.