When to plant in Rainbow City, AL
Planting dates worked out from Rainbow City's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 8
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 13
1 year in 10 by Oct 29
Frost-free days
237
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Gadsden · 9.0 km away · station 172 m, town 170 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 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 16 – Jan 23 | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 1 |
| Peas | — | Feb 6 – Mar 6 | Apr 2 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 27 – Apr 10 | Apr 28 |
| Beet | — | Feb 20 – Apr 3 | Apr 11 |
| Potato | — | Feb 27 – Mar 20 | May 8 |
| Kale | Jan 9 – Jan 23 | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 4 |
| Broccoli | Jan 9 – Jan 23 | Feb 20 – Mar 13 | Apr 21 |
| Cucumber | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 23 |
| Winter squash | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 31 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 20 – Mar 13 | May 21 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 30 – Nov 27 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 6 – Mar 6 | Mar 16 |
| Basil | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 4 |
Rainbow City'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 |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Mar 18 |
| 1955 | Mar 31 |
| 1956 | Apr 21 |
| 1957 | Apr 15 |
| 1958 | Mar 29 |
| 1959 | Apr 15 |
| 1960 | Apr 19 |
| 1961 | Apr 8 |
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | Apr 15 |
| 1964 | Mar 31 |
| 1965 | Mar 22 |
| 1966 | Apr 6 |
| 1967 | Mar 19 |
| 1968 | Mar 26 |
| 1969 | Mar 28 |
| 1970 | Apr 3 |
| 1972 | Apr 3 |
| 1973 | Apr 12 |
| 1975 | Apr 4 |
| 1976 | Mar 18 |
| 1977 | Mar 24 |
| 1978 | Mar 28 |
| 1979 | Mar 27 |
| 1980 | Mar 15 |
| 1981 | Mar 19 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Mar 12 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 4 |
| 1988 | Mar 18 |
| 1989 | Apr 12 |
| 1990 | Apr 9 |
| 1991 | Mar 12 |
| 1992 | Apr 4 |
| 1994 | Apr 1 |
| 1995 | Mar 11 |
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1997 | Mar 16 |
| 1998 | Mar 17 |
| 1999 | Mar 16 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Mar 27 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Mar 23 |
| 2005 | Mar 4 |
| 2007 | Apr 8 |
| 2008 | Mar 26 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2011 | Feb 16 |
| 2012 | Feb 23 |
| 2013 | Mar 21 |
| 2014 | Mar 14 |
| 2015 | Mar 30 |
| 2016 | Mar 22 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Mar 23 |
| 2019 | Mar 7 |
| 2020 | Mar 1 |
| 2024 | Mar 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 212 |
| 1955 | 202 |
| 1956 | 201 |
| 1957 | 195 |
| 1958 | 212 |
| 1959 | 205 |
| 1960 | 195 |
| 1961 | 194 |
| 1962 | 191 |
| 1963 | 197 |
| 1964 | 202 |
| 1965 | 216 |
| 1966 | 210 |
| 1968 | 213 |
| 1969 | 220 |
| 1970 | 213 |
| 1972 | 228 |
| 1973 | 211 |
| 1975 | 223 |
| 1976 | 223 |
| 1977 | 232 |
| 1978 | 277 |
| 1979 | 231 |
| 1981 | 246 |
| 1984 | 242 |
| 1985 | 236 |
| 1987 | 199 |
| 1988 | 255 |
| 1989 | 205 |
| 1990 | 234 |
| 1994 | 236 |
| 1995 | 237 |
| 1997 | 244 |
| 1998 | 233 |
| 1999 | 231 |
| 2000 | 218 |
| 2001 | 213 |
| 2002 | 238 |
| 2003 | 238 |
| 2005 | 257 |
| 2008 | 216 |
| 2009 | 237 |
| 2010 | 243 |
| 2012 | 273 |
| 2013 | 218 |
| 2014 | 231 |
| 2015 | 239 |
| 2016 | 244 |
| 2017 | 251 |
| 2018 | 231 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1953 | 22.9 °C |
| 1954 | 24.0 °C |
| 1955 | 23.6 °C |
| 1956 | 22.7 °C |
| 1957 | 23.5 °C |
| 1958 | 22.9 °C |
| 1959 | 23.1 °C |
| 1960 | 22.7 °C |
| 1961 | 21.3 °C |
| 1962 | 22.9 °C |
| 1963 | 22.4 °C |
| 1964 | 22.8 °C |
| 1966 | 22.3 °C |
| 1967 | 21.5 °C |
| 1968 | 22.5 °C |
| 1969 | 22.9 °C |
| 1970 | 23.2 °C |
| 1972 | 22.6 °C |
| 1973 | 22.4 °C |
| 1974 | 21.8 °C |
| 1975 | 22.2 °C |
| 1976 | 21.1 °C |
| 1977 | 23.4 °C |
| 1978 | 23.3 °C |
| 1979 | 22.1 °C |
| 1981 | 22.9 °C |
| 1982 | 22.6 °C |
| 1983 | 22.7 °C |
| 1984 | 22.3 °C |
| 1985 | 22.9 °C |
| 1987 | 23.5 °C |
| 1988 | 23.0 °C |
| 1989 | 22.2 °C |
| 1990 | 23.1 °C |
| 1991 | 23.4 °C |
| 1992 | 21.3 °C |
| 1994 | 22.5 °C |
| 1995 | 23.5 °C |
| 1997 | 21.8 °C |
| 1998 | 24.4 °C |
| 1999 | 23.9 °C |
| 2000 | 23.8 °C |
| 2001 | 23.1 °C |
| 2002 | 23.9 °C |
| 2003 | 23.3 °C |
| 2005 | 23.5 °C |
| 2007 | 24.4 °C |
| 2009 | 23.3 °C |
| 2010 | 25.2 °C |
| 2011 | 24.1 °C |
| 2012 | 24.8 °C |
| 2013 | 23.4 °C |
| 2014 | 24.1 °C |
| 2015 | 24.5 °C |
| 2016 | 24.7 °C |
| 2017 | 23.5 °C |
| 2018 | 24.5 °C |
| 2019 | 24.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1954, Rainbow City's last spring frost has come about 4 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 Gadsden (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.