When to plant in Bluff City, TN

Planting dates worked out from Bluff City's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Last spring frost

Early · riskyApr 59 years in 10 still get a later frost
TypicalApr 18about half of years get a later frost
Safe to plant outMay 41 year in 10 gets a later frost

Hardy crops like peas and spinach are timed from the typical date. Wait for the safe date before planting out tomatoes, peppers and squash.

First fall frost

EarlyOct 81 year in 10 has frost by then
TypicalOct 20about half of years have had frost
LateNov 19 years in 10 have had frost by then

A typical year has 186 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.

Station used: Bristol Ap · 12.3 km away · station 456 m, town 442 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

Build my Bluff City plan

Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Mar 9 – Mar 23	May 4 – May 18	Jun 28
Sweet pepper	Feb 23 – Mar 9	May 4 – May 18	Jul 3
Lettuce (leaf)	Feb 14 – Feb 21	Mar 21 – Apr 4	Apr 30
Peas	—	Mar 7 – Apr 4	May 1
Bush beans	—	Apr 27 – May 18	Jun 16
Carrot	—	Mar 28 – May 9	May 27
Beet	—	Mar 21 – May 2	May 10
Potato	—	Mar 28 – Apr 18	Jun 6
Kale	Feb 7 – Feb 21	Mar 21 – Apr 4	May 3
Broccoli	Feb 7 – Feb 21	Mar 21 – Apr 11	May 20
Cucumber	Apr 6 – Apr 13	May 4 – May 18	Jun 23
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 6 – Apr 13	May 4 – May 18	Jun 18
Winter squash	Apr 6 – Apr 13	May 4 – May 18	Jul 23
Sweet corn	—	Apr 27 – May 18	Jun 26
Onion (from sets)	—	Mar 21 – Apr 11	Jun 19
Garlic	—	Oct 6 – Nov 3 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Mar 7 – Apr 4	Apr 14
Basil	Mar 23 – Apr 6	May 4 – May 18	Jun 30

Plan all 65 crops for Bluff City

Bluff 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
1938	Apr 11
1939	Apr 14
1940	May 5
1941	Mar 30
1942	Apr 21
1943	Apr 22
1944	Apr 7
1945	Apr 7
1946	Apr 28
1947	May 9
1948	Mar 29
1949	Apr 25
1950	Apr 22
1951	Apr 18
1952	Apr 17
1953	Apr 21
1954	Apr 2
1955	Apr 8
1956	Apr 21
1957	Apr 15
1958	Apr 13
1959	Apr 14
1960	Apr 11
1961	Apr 20
1962	Apr 21
1963	May 2
1964	Apr 11
1965	Apr 3
1966	May 10
1967	Apr 29
1968	Apr 16
1969	Apr 30
1970	Apr 8
1971	May 4
1972	Apr 27
1973	Apr 14
1974	Apr 10
1975	Apr 13
1976	Apr 28
1977	Apr 9
1978	Mar 27
1979	Apr 7
1980	Apr 17
1981	Apr 7
1982	Apr 24
1983	Apr 22
1984	Apr 19
1985	Apr 10
1986	May 4
1987	Apr 10
1988	Apr 20
1989	May 8
1990	Apr 18
1991	Apr 2
1992	Apr 6
1993	Apr 23
1994	Apr 8
1995	Apr 5
1996	May 1
1997	May 16
1998	Apr 12
1999	Apr 13
2000	Apr 27
2001	Apr 19
2002	May 22
2003	Apr 1
2004	Apr 28
2005	May 3
2006	Apr 10
2007	Apr 13
2008	Apr 30
2009	Apr 12
2010	Apr 10
2011	Apr 6
2012	Apr 13
2013	Apr 6
2014	Apr 17
2015	Apr 24
2016	Apr 13
2017	Apr 9
2018	Apr 30
2019	Apr 3
2020	May 10
2021	Apr 23
2022	Apr 20
2023	Apr 10
2024	Apr 22

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1938	196
1939	183
1940	185
1941	195
1942	187
1943	177
1944	203
1945	191
1946	156
1947	144
1948	202
1949	192
1950	196
1951	176
1952	184
1953	192
1954	200
1955	199
1956	201
1957	187
1958	198
1959	202
1960	192
1961	189
1962	185
1963	181
1964	182
1965	204
1966	173
1967	173
1968	171
1969	170
1970	191
1971	184
1972	174
1973	186
1974	174
1975	200
1976	172
1977	188
1978	195
1979	188
1980	178
1981	195
1982	185
1983	196
1984	200
1985	211
1986	192
1987	176
1988	175
1989	165
1990	191
1991	188
1992	195
1993	160
1994	201
1995	194
1996	163
1997	158
1998	192
1999	193
2000	163
2001	171
2002	163
2003	184
2004	171
2005	175
2006	185
2007	198
2008	171
2009	188
2010	202
2011	198
2012	203
2013	200
2014	170
2015	176
2016	207
2017	199
2018	174
2019	211
2020	173
2021	186
2022	180
2023	204
2024	177

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1938	20.4 °C
1939	20.4 °C
1940	19.5 °C
1941	21.2 °C
1942	20.4 °C
1943	20.3 °C
1944	20.9 °C
1945	20.1 °C
1946	19.7 °C
1947	20.1 °C
1948	20.5 °C
1949	20.1 °C
1950	19.3 °C
1951	19.6 °C
1952	21.0 °C
1953	20.9 °C
1954	21.1 °C
1955	21.3 °C
1956	19.8 °C
1957	21.3 °C
1958	20.4 °C
1959	21.3 °C
1960	20.7 °C
1961	19.4 °C
1962	20.4 °C
1963	19.7 °C
1964	20.5 °C
1965	20.9 °C
1966	19.7 °C
1967	18.2 °C
1968	19.9 °C
1969	19.9 °C
1970	21.3 °C
1971	20.2 °C
1972	19.5 °C
1973	19.9 °C
1974	19.3 °C
1975	20.3 °C
1976	19.0 °C
1977	21.0 °C
1978	20.2 °C
1979	19.1 °C
1980	20.6 °C
1981	20.1 °C
1982	19.8 °C
1983	18.9 °C
1984	18.7 °C
1985	19.3 °C
1986	20.7 °C
1987	20.9 °C
1988	20.1 °C
1989	19.5 °C
1990	20.1 °C
1991	21.0 °C
1992	19.3 °C
1993	20.3 °C
1994	20.0 °C
1995	20.8 °C
1996	19.1 °C
1997	18.2 °C
1998	20.4 °C
1999	20.3 °C
2000	19.6 °C
2001	19.9 °C
2002	21.1 °C
2003	19.7 °C
2004	20.0 °C
2005	20.2 °C
2006	20.0 °C
2007	20.8 °C
2008	20.0 °C
2009	19.8 °C
2010	21.8 °C
2011	21.3 °C
2012	20.9 °C
2013	19.9 °C
2014	20.7 °C
2015	21.3 °C
2016	21.6 °C
2017	20.7 °C
2018	21.5 °C
2019	21.7 °C
2020	20.1 °C
2021	20.6 °C
2022	21.0 °C
2023	20.4 °C
2024	21.4 °C

What this means for you: Since 1938, Bluff City's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Bristol Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Blountville Walnut Hill Hunter Elizabethton Fairmount (near Bristol)Bristol