When to plant in Athens, TN
Planting dates worked out from Athens's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 21
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 9
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 29
1 year in 10 by Oct 18
Frost-free days
200
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Athens · 1.5 km away · station 286 m, town 262 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 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 15 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 20 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 21 |
| Peas | — | Feb 26 – Mar 26 | Apr 22 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 14 – May 5 | Jun 3 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 18 |
| Beet | — | Mar 12 – Apr 23 | May 1 |
| Potato | — | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | May 28 |
| Kale | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 24 |
| Broccoli | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | May 11 |
| Cucumber | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 10 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 5 |
| Winter squash | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jul 10 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 14 – May 5 | Jun 13 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | Jun 10 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 15 – Nov 12 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 26 – Mar 26 | Apr 5 |
| Basil | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 17 |
Athens'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 |
|---|---|
| 1963 | May 2 |
| 1964 | Apr 10 |
| 1965 | Mar 23 |
| 1966 | Apr 11 |
| 1967 | Apr 28 |
| 1968 | Apr 12 |
| 1969 | Apr 1 |
| 1970 | Apr 8 |
| 1971 | May 4 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | May 18 |
| 1974 | Apr 25 |
| 1975 | Apr 16 |
| 1976 | Apr 27 |
| 1977 | Apr 7 |
| 1978 | Apr 22 |
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1980 | Apr 16 |
| 1981 | Apr 7 |
| 1982 | Apr 24 |
| 1983 | Apr 21 |
| 1984 | Apr 2 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Apr 24 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Apr 20 |
| 1989 | Apr 17 |
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Apr 1 |
| 1992 | Apr 29 |
| 1993 | Apr 23 |
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | Apr 3 |
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1997 | Apr 19 |
| 1998 | Apr 11 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 10 |
| 2001 | Apr 20 |
| 2002 | Apr 8 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Mar 24 |
| 2005 | Apr 26 |
| 2006 | Mar 28 |
| 2007 | Apr 16 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Mar 23 |
| 2011 | Apr 7 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 21 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Mar 30 |
| 2016 | Apr 11 |
| 2017 | Mar 17 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Apr 17 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Mar 22 |
| 2024 | Mar 20 |
| 2025 | Mar 22 |
| 2026 | Mar 20 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 180 |
| 1964 | 179 |
| 1965 | 215 |
| 1966 | 191 |
| 1967 | 154 |
| 1968 | 196 |
| 1969 | 199 |
| 1970 | 208 |
| 1971 | 183 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1974 | 161 |
| 1975 | 197 |
| 1976 | 174 |
| 1977 | 189 |
| 1978 | 175 |
| 1979 | 189 |
| 1980 | 192 |
| 1981 | 195 |
| 1982 | 184 |
| 1983 | 189 |
| 1984 | 218 |
| 1985 | 211 |
| 1986 | 203 |
| 1987 | 191 |
| 1989 | 186 |
| 1990 | 195 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1992 | 173 |
| 1993 | 187 |
| 1994 | 207 |
| 1995 | 214 |
| 1996 | 190 |
| 1997 | 186 |
| 1998 | 195 |
| 1999 | 209 |
| 2000 | 180 |
| 2001 | 189 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 226 |
| 2004 | 235 |
| 2005 | 184 |
| 2006 | 199 |
| 2007 | 200 |
| 2008 | 194 |
| 2009 | 191 |
| 2010 | 228 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 201 |
| 2013 | 186 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 228 |
| 2016 | 213 |
| 2017 | 226 |
| 2018 | 205 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 199 |
| 2021 | 197 |
| 2022 | 180 |
| 2023 | 223 |
| 2024 | 210 |
| 2025 | 232 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 21.4 °C |
| 1963 | 20.8 °C |
| 1964 | 21.3 °C |
| 1965 | 21.2 °C |
| 1966 | 20.1 °C |
| 1967 | 19.4 °C |
| 1968 | 20.5 °C |
| 1969 | 21.1 °C |
| 1970 | 21.6 °C |
| 1971 | 20.8 °C |
| 1972 | 20.5 °C |
| 1974 | 20.1 °C |
| 1975 | 21.0 °C |
| 1976 | 19.9 °C |
| 1977 | 22.2 °C |
| 1978 | 21.8 °C |
| 1980 | 22.2 °C |
| 1981 | 21.3 °C |
| 1982 | 20.5 °C |
| 1983 | 20.8 °C |
| 1984 | 20.3 °C |
| 1985 | 21.1 °C |
| 1986 | 21.8 °C |
| 1987 | 21.8 °C |
| 1988 | 21.2 °C |
| 1989 | 20.2 °C |
| 1990 | 20.7 °C |
| 1991 | 21.9 °C |
| 1992 | 20.0 °C |
| 1993 | 21.3 °C |
| 1994 | 20.5 °C |
| 1995 | 21.5 °C |
| 1996 | 20.4 °C |
| 1997 | 19.8 °C |
| 1998 | 22.3 °C |
| 1999 | 22.0 °C |
| 2000 | 21.4 °C |
| 2001 | 21.1 °C |
| 2002 | 22.0 °C |
| 2003 | 21.3 °C |
| 2004 | 21.4 °C |
| 2006 | 21.6 °C |
| 2007 | 22.4 °C |
| 2008 | 21.5 °C |
| 2009 | 20.2 °C |
| 2010 | 23.2 °C |
| 2011 | 22.2 °C |
| 2012 | 22.1 °C |
| 2013 | 21.2 °C |
| 2014 | 21.6 °C |
| 2015 | 22.2 °C |
| 2016 | 23.2 °C |
| 2017 | 22.0 °C |
| 2018 | 22.6 °C |
| 2019 | 23.1 °C |
| 2020 | 21.5 °C |
| 2021 | 21.4 °C |
| 2022 | 22.2 °C |
| 2023 | 21.1 °C |
| 2024 | 22.3 °C |
| 2025 | 22.1 °C |
| 2026 | 23.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1963, Athens's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown 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 Athens (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.