When to plant in Malvern, AL
Planting dates worked out from Malvern's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 15
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 27
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 23
1 year in 10 by Nov 6
Frost-free days
263
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Dothan Rgnl Ap · 21.1 km away · station 112 m, town 86 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 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | May 9 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 4 – Jan 18 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | May 14 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 26 – Jan 2 | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 11 |
| Peas | — | Jan 16 – Feb 13 | Mar 12 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | Apr 27 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 7 |
| Beet | — | Jan 30 – Mar 13 | Mar 21 |
| Potato | — | Feb 6 – Feb 27 | Apr 17 |
| Kale | Dec 19 – Jan 2 | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 14 |
| Broccoli | Dec 19 – Jan 2 | Jan 30 – Feb 20 | Mar 31 |
| Cucumber | Feb 15 – Feb 22 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | May 4 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Feb 15 – Feb 22 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 29 |
| Winter squash | Feb 15 – Feb 22 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Jun 3 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | May 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 30 – Feb 20 | Apr 30 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 9 – Dec 7 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 16 – Feb 13 | Feb 23 |
| Basil | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | May 11 |
Malvern'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 |
|---|---|
| 1970 | Feb 27 |
| 1971 | Mar 8 |
| 1972 | Feb 5 |
| 1973 | Feb 17 |
| 1974 | Feb 27 |
| 1975 | Mar 3 |
| 1976 | Feb 8 |
| 1977 | Feb 21 |
| 1978 | Mar 5 |
| 1979 | Feb 11 |
| 1980 | Mar 4 |
| 1981 | Feb 13 |
| 1982 | Mar 8 |
| 1983 | Feb 8 |
| 1984 | Mar 1 |
| 1985 | Feb 16 |
| 1986 | Mar 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 4 |
| 1988 | Mar 16 |
| 1989 | Feb 25 |
| 1990 | Feb 15 |
| 1991 | Feb 16 |
| 1992 | Mar 11 |
| 1993 | Mar 15 |
| 1994 | Feb 14 |
| 1995 | Mar 9 |
| 1996 | Mar 10 |
| 1997 | Jan 19 |
| 1998 | Mar 13 |
| 1999 | Feb 22 |
| 2000 | Feb 6 |
| 2001 | Feb 6 |
| 2002 | Mar 6 |
| 2003 | Feb 11 |
| 2004 | Feb 8 |
| 2005 | Mar 2 |
| 2006 | Feb 27 |
| 2007 | Feb 19 |
| 2008 | Feb 28 |
| 2009 | Mar 3 |
| 2010 | Mar 7 |
| 2011 | Feb 13 |
| 2012 | Feb 13 |
| 2013 | Mar 27 |
| 2014 | Mar 26 |
| 2015 | Mar 6 |
| 2016 | Feb 11 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Mar 15 |
| 2019 | Mar 6 |
| 2020 | Feb 28 |
| 2021 | Feb 20 |
| 2022 | Mar 13 |
| 2023 | Mar 20 |
| 2024 | Jan 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1970 | 268 |
| 1971 | 297 |
| 1972 | 314 |
| 1973 | 293 |
| 1974 | 272 |
| 1975 | 256 |
| 1976 | 270 |
| 1977 | 288 |
| 1978 | 279 |
| 1979 | 290 |
| 1980 | 295 |
| 1981 | 300 |
| 1982 | 279 |
| 1983 | 318 |
| 1984 | 280 |
| 1985 | 289 |
| 1986 | 258 |
| 1987 | 230 |
| 1988 | 260 |
| 1989 | 264 |
| 1990 | 292 |
| 1991 | 260 |
| 1992 | 262 |
| 1993 | 230 |
| 1994 | 319 |
| 1995 | 247 |
| 1996 | 283 |
| 1997 | 301 |
| 1998 | 292 |
| 1999 | 281 |
| 2001 | 263 |
| 2002 | 261 |
| 2003 | 286 |
| 2004 | 308 |
| 2005 | 260 |
| 2006 | 279 |
| 2007 | 261 |
| 2008 | 263 |
| 2009 | 276 |
| 2010 | 244 |
| 2011 | 270 |
| 2012 | 284 |
| 2013 | 230 |
| 2014 | 232 |
| 2015 | 261 |
| 2016 | 281 |
| 2017 | 248 |
| 2018 | 245 |
| 2019 | 250 |
| 2020 | 275 |
| 2021 | 313 |
| 2022 | 249 |
| 2023 | 253 |
| 2024 | 312 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1970 | 25.2 °C |
| 1971 | 24.6 °C |
| 1972 | 25.5 °C |
| 1973 | 24.4 °C |
| 1974 | 24.2 °C |
| 1975 | 24.3 °C |
| 1976 | 24.1 °C |
| 1977 | 26.1 °C |
| 1978 | 25.9 °C |
| 1979 | 25.1 °C |
| 1980 | 25.9 °C |
| 1981 | 25.6 °C |
| 1982 | 25.1 °C |
| 1983 | 24.9 °C |
| 1984 | 24.1 °C |
| 1985 | 24.9 °C |
| 1986 | 25.9 °C |
| 1987 | 24.8 °C |
| 1988 | 24.8 °C |
| 1989 | 24.3 °C |
| 1990 | 26.8 °C |
| 1991 | 25.6 °C |
| 1992 | 24.4 °C |
| 1993 | 25.0 °C |
| 1994 | 24.6 °C |
| 1995 | 25.2 °C |
| 1996 | 24.6 °C |
| 1997 | 24.4 °C |
| 1998 | 26.6 °C |
| 1999 | 26.2 °C |
| 2000 | 25.4 °C |
| 2001 | 24.3 °C |
| 2002 | 25.4 °C |
| 2003 | 24.4 °C |
| 2004 | 24.4 °C |
| 2005 | 24.5 °C |
| 2006 | 25.9 °C |
| 2007 | 25.5 °C |
| 2008 | 25.6 °C |
| 2009 | 26.3 °C |
| 2010 | 26.4 °C |
| 2011 | 26.1 °C |
| 2012 | 25.2 °C |
| 2013 | 24.3 °C |
| 2014 | 24.8 °C |
| 2015 | 25.7 °C |
| 2016 | 25.5 °C |
| 2017 | 25.1 °C |
| 2018 | 25.8 °C |
| 2019 | 26.6 °C |
| 2020 | 25.5 °C |
| 2021 | 24.6 °C |
| 2022 | 25.6 °C |
| 2023 | 25.7 °C |
| 2024 | 26.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1970, Malvern's last spring frost has come about 1 day later per decade, on average. The frost-free season has shrunk by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Dothan Rgnl Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.