When to plant in Kingston Springs, TN
Planting dates worked out from Kingston Springs's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 26
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 13
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 11
Frost-free days
191
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Kingston Springs · 0.1 km away · station 158 m, town 159 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 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 20 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 25 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 9 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 25 |
| Peas | — | Mar 2 – Mar 30 | Apr 26 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 19 – May 10 | Jun 8 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 22 |
| Beet | — | Mar 16 – Apr 27 | May 5 |
| Potato | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 1 |
| Kale | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 28 |
| Broccoli | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Apr 6 | May 15 |
| Cucumber | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 15 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 10 |
| Winter squash | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jul 15 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 19 – May 10 | Jun 18 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 16 – Apr 6 | Jun 14 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 2 – Mar 30 | Apr 9 |
| Basil | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 22 |
Kingston Springs'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 |
|---|---|
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | May 2 |
| 1964 | Apr 11 |
| 1965 | Apr 2 |
| 1966 | Apr 16 |
| 1967 | Mar 24 |
| 1968 | Apr 26 |
| 1969 | Apr 1 |
| 1970 | Apr 15 |
| 1971 | May 5 |
| 1972 | Apr 27 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | Apr 26 |
| 1975 | Apr 16 |
| 1976 | May 5 |
| 1977 | May 10 |
| 1978 | Apr 22 |
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1980 | Apr 17 |
| 1981 | Mar 26 |
| 1982 | Apr 24 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Apr 21 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 1 |
| 1992 | Apr 29 |
| 1993 | Apr 23 |
| 1995 | Apr 6 |
| 1996 | Apr 12 |
| 1997 | Apr 19 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | Mar 31 |
| 2000 | Apr 15 |
| 2002 | Apr 8 |
| 2003 | Apr 12 |
| 2004 | Apr 15 |
| 2005 | Apr 26 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 16 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Mar 26 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 179 |
| 1964 | 177 |
| 1965 | 193 |
| 1966 | 186 |
| 1967 | 189 |
| 1968 | 161 |
| 1969 | 196 |
| 1970 | 184 |
| 1971 | 182 |
| 1972 | 175 |
| 1973 | 184 |
| 1974 | 159 |
| 1975 | 169 |
| 1976 | 165 |
| 1977 | 154 |
| 1978 | 167 |
| 1979 | 189 |
| 1980 | 171 |
| 1981 | 207 |
| 1986 | 164 |
| 1987 | 180 |
| 1990 | 182 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1992 | 172 |
| 1993 | 170 |
| 1995 | 201 |
| 1996 | 189 |
| 1997 | 183 |
| 1998 | 193 |
| 1999 | 203 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 173 |
| 2004 | 213 |
| 2005 | 180 |
| 2006 | 184 |
| 2007 | 199 |
| 2008 | 182 |
| 2009 | 191 |
| 2010 | 215 |
| 2011 | 209 |
| 2012 | 200 |
| 2013 | 187 |
| 2014 | 198 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 21.6 °C |
| 1963 | 20.9 °C |
| 1964 | 21.5 °C |
| 1965 | 21.8 °C |
| 1966 | 20.5 °C |
| 1967 | 19.8 °C |
| 1968 | 20.6 °C |
| 1969 | 21.5 °C |
| 1970 | 21.6 °C |
| 1971 | 20.9 °C |
| 1972 | 20.9 °C |
| 1973 | 20.6 °C |
| 1974 | 19.8 °C |
| 1975 | 20.4 °C |
| 1977 | 21.6 °C |
| 1978 | 21.0 °C |
| 1979 | 19.9 °C |
| 1980 | 21.9 °C |
| 1981 | 21.2 °C |
| 1982 | 20.5 °C |
| 1986 | 22.0 °C |
| 1987 | 21.9 °C |
| 1988 | 21.4 °C |
| 1990 | 20.6 °C |
| 1991 | 21.9 °C |
| 1992 | 19.6 °C |
| 1993 | 21.0 °C |
| 1995 | 21.1 °C |
| 1996 | 20.0 °C |
| 1997 | 19.2 °C |
| 1998 | 21.4 °C |
| 1999 | 21.2 °C |
| 2002 | 22.4 °C |
| 2003 | 21.3 °C |
| 2004 | 21.1 °C |
| 2005 | 22.1 °C |
| 2006 | 21.9 °C |
| 2007 | 22.8 °C |
| 2008 | 21.6 °C |
| 2009 | 21.4 °C |
| 2010 | 23.5 °C |
| 2011 | 22.4 °C |
| 2012 | 22.4 °C |
| 2013 | 21.3 °C |
| 2014 | 21.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1962, Kingston Springs's last spring frost has come about 1 day 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 Kingston Springs (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.