When to plant in Opelika, AL
Planting dates worked out from Opelika's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 31
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 4
1 year in 10 by Oct 21
Frost-free days
225
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Opelika · 6.9 km away · station 191 m, town 246 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 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 27 – Feb 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 12 |
| Peas | — | Feb 17 – Mar 17 | Apr 13 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 1 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 10 – Apr 21 | May 9 |
| Beet | — | Mar 3 – Apr 14 | Apr 22 |
| Potato | — | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | May 19 |
| Kale | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 15 |
| Broccoli | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 24 | May 2 |
| Cucumber | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 3 |
| Winter squash | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jul 8 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 3 – Mar 24 | Jun 1 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 21 – Nov 18 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 17 – Mar 17 | Mar 27 |
| Basil | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 15 |
Opelika'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 |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Mar 23 |
| 1959 | Apr 14 |
| 1960 | Apr 10 |
| 1961 | Apr 18 |
| 1962 | Apr 18 |
| 1963 | Mar 25 |
| 1964 | Apr 10 |
| 1966 | Apr 6 |
| 1967 | Mar 23 |
| 1968 | Mar 26 |
| 1969 | Mar 28 |
| 1970 | Mar 24 |
| 1971 | Apr 9 |
| 1972 | Apr 2 |
| 1973 | Apr 12 |
| 1974 | Mar 23 |
| 1975 | Mar 16 |
| 1976 | Apr 2 |
| 1977 | Apr 27 |
| 1978 | Mar 29 |
| 1979 | Mar 27 |
| 1980 | Mar 15 |
| 1981 | Mar 25 |
| 1982 | Apr 8 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Mar 11 |
| 1985 | Apr 3 |
| 1986 | Mar 24 |
| 1987 | Apr 7 |
| 1988 | Mar 17 |
| 1989 | Feb 26 |
| 1990 | Mar 21 |
| 1992 | Apr 4 |
| 1995 | Apr 3 |
| 1996 | Apr 12 |
| 1997 | Apr 19 |
| 1998 | Mar 23 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 11 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Mar 25 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 4 |
| 2007 | Apr 19 |
| 2008 | Apr 18 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Mar 9 |
| 2011 | Apr 7 |
| 2012 | Feb 26 |
| 2013 | Mar 31 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Mar 29 |
| 2016 | Mar 23 |
| 2017 | Mar 17 |
| 2018 | Mar 23 |
| 2019 | Mar 23 |
| 2020 | Mar 1 |
| 2021 | Apr 3 |
| 2022 | Mar 22 |
| 2023 | Mar 22 |
| 2024 | Mar 21 |
| 2025 | Mar 22 |
| 2026 | Mar 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 229 |
| 1959 | 206 |
| 1960 | 204 |
| 1962 | 188 |
| 1963 | 219 |
| 1964 | 192 |
| 1966 | 210 |
| 1967 | 226 |
| 1968 | 213 |
| 1969 | 221 |
| 1970 | 237 |
| 1971 | 212 |
| 1972 | 229 |
| 1973 | 211 |
| 1974 | 234 |
| 1975 | 242 |
| 1976 | 209 |
| 1977 | 173 |
| 1978 | 199 |
| 1979 | 232 |
| 1980 | 224 |
| 1982 | 200 |
| 1984 | 241 |
| 1986 | 242 |
| 1987 | 198 |
| 1989 | 235 |
| 1990 | 219 |
| 1992 | 251 |
| 1995 | 219 |
| 1996 | 190 |
| 1998 | 228 |
| 1999 | 209 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2002 | 233 |
| 2003 | 226 |
| 2004 | 225 |
| 2007 | 198 |
| 2008 | 192 |
| 2009 | 192 |
| 2010 | 241 |
| 2011 | 197 |
| 2012 | 247 |
| 2013 | 206 |
| 2014 | 199 |
| 2015 | 230 |
| 2016 | 232 |
| 2017 | 226 |
| 2018 | 237 |
| 2019 | 224 |
| 2020 | 246 |
| 2021 | 217 |
| 2022 | 210 |
| 2023 | 224 |
| 2024 | 246 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1957 | 23.1 °C |
| 1958 | 22.1 °C |
| 1959 | 22.5 °C |
| 1960 | 22.5 °C |
| 1962 | 22.9 °C |
| 1963 | 22.6 °C |
| 1964 | 23.0 °C |
| 1966 | 22.8 °C |
| 1967 | 21.7 °C |
| 1968 | 22.4 °C |
| 1969 | 23.1 °C |
| 1970 | 23.8 °C |
| 1971 | 22.0 °C |
| 1972 | 22.7 °C |
| 1973 | 22.6 °C |
| 1975 | 22.3 °C |
| 1976 | 21.0 °C |
| 1977 | 23.8 °C |
| 1978 | 23.1 °C |
| 1979 | 22.2 °C |
| 1980 | 23.6 °C |
| 1982 | 22.5 °C |
| 1984 | 22.0 °C |
| 1985 | 22.8 °C |
| 1986 | 23.6 °C |
| 1987 | 23.1 °C |
| 1989 | 22.1 °C |
| 1990 | 22.9 °C |
| 1992 | 22.9 °C |
| 1995 | 23.1 °C |
| 1996 | 22.5 °C |
| 1997 | 21.7 °C |
| 1998 | 23.8 °C |
| 1999 | 22.8 °C |
| 2000 | 22.7 °C |
| 2002 | 23.2 °C |
| 2003 | 22.2 °C |
| 2004 | 22.5 °C |
| 2007 | 22.8 °C |
| 2008 | 22.6 °C |
| 2009 | 22.9 °C |
| 2010 | 24.2 °C |
| 2011 | 23.3 °C |
| 2012 | 22.8 °C |
| 2013 | 21.9 °C |
| 2014 | 22.0 °C |
| 2015 | 23.3 °C |
| 2016 | 23.3 °C |
| 2017 | 22.9 °C |
| 2018 | 23.4 °C |
| 2019 | 23.8 °C |
| 2020 | 22.4 °C |
| 2021 | 22.1 °C |
| 2022 | 22.1 °C |
| 2023 | 22.3 °C |
| 2024 | 23.6 °C |
| 2025 | 23.2 °C |
| 2026 | 23.3 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1958, Opelika's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Opelika (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.