When to plant in Lafayette, TN
Planting dates worked out from Lafayette's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 15
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 4
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 1
1 year in 10 by Oct 20
Frost-free days
212
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Lafayette · 0.4 km away · station 297 m, town 292 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 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 9 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 14 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 31 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 16 |
| Peas | — | Feb 21 – Mar 21 | Apr 17 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | May 28 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 14 – Apr 25 | May 13 |
| Beet | — | Mar 7 – Apr 18 | Apr 26 |
| Potato | — | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | May 23 |
| Kale | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 19 |
| Broccoli | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 28 | May 6 |
| Cucumber | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 4 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 30 |
| Winter squash | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jul 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 7 – Mar 28 | Jun 5 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 18 – Nov 15 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 21 – Mar 21 | Mar 31 |
| Basil | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 11 |
Lafayette'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 |
|---|---|
| 1959 | Apr 13 |
| 1960 | May 9 |
| 1961 | Apr 11 |
| 1962 | Apr 20 |
| 1963 | May 2 |
| 1964 | Apr 10 |
| 1965 | Mar 31 |
| 1966 | May 10 |
| 1967 | Mar 23 |
| 1968 | Apr 25 |
| 1969 | Apr 1 |
| 1970 | Apr 15 |
| 1971 | Apr 7 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 13 |
| 1974 | Apr 25 |
| 1975 | Apr 6 |
| 1976 | May 4 |
| 1977 | Apr 6 |
| 1978 | Mar 28 |
| 1979 | Mar 25 |
| 1980 | Apr 5 |
| 1981 | Mar 24 |
| 1982 | Apr 10 |
| 1983 | Apr 21 |
| 1984 | Apr 1 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Apr 16 |
| 1989 | Apr 11 |
| 1990 | Apr 12 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 3 |
| 1993 | Apr 3 |
| 1994 | Apr 7 |
| 1995 | Apr 5 |
| 1996 | Apr 9 |
| 1997 | Apr 14 |
| 1998 | Mar 15 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Mar 30 |
| 2004 | Mar 23 |
| 2005 | Mar 20 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 15 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Mar 28 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Mar 28 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 206 |
| 1960 | 164 |
| 1961 | 198 |
| 1962 | 186 |
| 1963 | 180 |
| 1964 | 178 |
| 1965 | 195 |
| 1966 | 149 |
| 1967 | 189 |
| 1968 | 162 |
| 1969 | 199 |
| 1970 | 184 |
| 1971 | 210 |
| 1972 | 193 |
| 1973 | 186 |
| 1974 | 160 |
| 1975 | 207 |
| 1976 | 165 |
| 1977 | 188 |
| 1978 | 213 |
| 1979 | 212 |
| 1981 | 209 |
| 1982 | 195 |
| 1983 | 197 |
| 1984 | 218 |
| 1985 | 211 |
| 1986 | 203 |
| 1987 | 197 |
| 1988 | 195 |
| 1989 | 205 |
| 1990 | 209 |
| 1991 | 216 |
| 1992 | 198 |
| 1993 | 207 |
| 1994 | 230 |
| 1995 | 212 |
| 1996 | 206 |
| 1997 | 191 |
| 1998 | 234 |
| 1999 | 220 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 191 |
| 2002 | 208 |
| 2003 | 223 |
| 2004 | 248 |
| 2005 | 222 |
| 2007 | 211 |
| 2008 | 196 |
| 2009 | 229 |
| 2010 | 215 |
| 2011 | 215 |
| 2012 | 201 |
| 2013 | 209 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 21.5 °C |
| 1959 | 21.8 °C |
| 1960 | 21.4 °C |
| 1961 | 20.2 °C |
| 1962 | 21.7 °C |
| 1963 | 21.0 °C |
| 1964 | 21.5 °C |
| 1965 | 21.6 °C |
| 1966 | 20.4 °C |
| 1967 | 19.7 °C |
| 1968 | 20.3 °C |
| 1969 | 21.4 °C |
| 1970 | 21.3 °C |
| 1971 | 20.9 °C |
| 1972 | 21.3 °C |
| 1973 | 20.9 °C |
| 1974 | 20.0 °C |
| 1975 | 21.0 °C |
| 1976 | 20.0 °C |
| 1977 | 22.4 °C |
| 1978 | 22.0 °C |
| 1979 | 20.8 °C |
| 1980 | 22.2 °C |
| 1981 | 21.4 °C |
| 1982 | 20.3 °C |
| 1983 | 21.0 °C |
| 1984 | 20.7 °C |
| 1985 | 21.0 °C |
| 1989 | 21.3 °C |
| 1990 | 22.0 °C |
| 1991 | 23.3 °C |
| 1992 | 21.0 °C |
| 1993 | 22.6 °C |
| 1994 | 21.5 °C |
| 1995 | 22.5 °C |
| 1996 | 21.9 °C |
| 1997 | 20.5 °C |
| 1998 | 23.4 °C |
| 1999 | 22.9 °C |
| 2000 | 21.9 °C |
| 2001 | 22.0 °C |
| 2002 | 22.5 °C |
| 2003 | 21.6 °C |
| 2004 | 21.9 °C |
| 2005 | 22.3 °C |
| 2006 | 22.3 °C |
| 2007 | 23.1 °C |
| 2008 | 21.5 °C |
| 2009 | 21.1 °C |
| 2010 | 23.8 °C |
| 2011 | 22.6 °C |
| 2012 | 22.8 °C |
| 2013 | 21.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1959, Lafayette's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 7 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Lafayette (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.