When to plant in Knoxville, TN
Planting dates worked out from Knoxville'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
Apr 9
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 26
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
198
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Knoxville Exp Stn · 7.7 km away · station 253 m, town 276 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) | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 21 |
| Peas | — | Feb 26 – Mar 26 | Apr 22 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 1 |
| 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 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 12 – Apr 2 | Jun 10 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 12 – Nov 9 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 26 – Mar 26 | Apr 5 |
| Basil | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 15 |
Knoxville'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 |
|---|---|
| 1983 | Apr 24 |
| 1986 | Apr 24 |
| 1987 | Apr 9 |
| 1989 | May 8 |
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 5 |
| 1993 | Apr 23 |
| 1994 | Apr 9 |
| 1995 | Apr 4 |
| 1996 | Apr 17 |
| 1997 | Apr 15 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | Mar 29 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 20 |
| 2002 | Apr 8 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 4 |
| 2006 | Mar 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 13 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Mar 29 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 6 |
| 2016 | Apr 7 |
| 2017 | Mar 19 |
| 2018 | Apr 19 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | May 11 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 12 |
| 2023 | Mar 23 |
| 2024 | Apr 24 |
| 2025 | Apr 14 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 194 |
| 1986 | 203 |
| 1990 | 195 |
| 1991 | 189 |
| 1992 | 196 |
| 1993 | 187 |
| 1994 | 201 |
| 1995 | 213 |
| 1996 | 185 |
| 1997 | 190 |
| 1998 | 193 |
| 1999 | 208 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 179 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 226 |
| 2005 | 206 |
| 2006 | 199 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2009 | 193 |
| 2010 | 224 |
| 2012 | 202 |
| 2013 | 209 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2017 | 224 |
| 2018 | 205 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 159 |
| 2021 | 198 |
| 2022 | 189 |
| 2023 | 223 |
| 2024 | 175 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 20.6 °C |
| 1986 | 22.0 °C |
| 1989 | 19.9 °C |
| 1990 | 20.4 °C |
| 1991 | 21.8 °C |
| 1992 | 20.1 °C |
| 1993 | 21.2 °C |
| 1994 | 20.4 °C |
| 1995 | 21.5 °C |
| 1996 | 20.7 °C |
| 1997 | 20.0 °C |
| 1998 | 20.9 °C |
| 1999 | 20.6 °C |
| 2000 | 21.2 °C |
| 2001 | 21.2 °C |
| 2002 | 22.3 °C |
| 2003 | 21.3 °C |
| 2005 | 21.3 °C |
| 2008 | 21.4 °C |
| 2009 | 21.2 °C |
| 2010 | 23.1 °C |
| 2012 | 22.1 °C |
| 2013 | 20.9 °C |
| 2014 | 21.6 °C |
| 2015 | 22.2 °C |
| 2016 | 23.3 °C |
| 2017 | 22.1 °C |
| 2018 | 22.9 °C |
| 2019 | 22.2 °C |
| 2020 | 20.8 °C |
| 2021 | 21.7 °C |
| 2022 | 22.4 °C |
| 2023 | 21.7 °C |
| 2024 | 21.7 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1983, Knoxville's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Knoxville Exp Stn (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.