When to plant in Lexington, TN
Planting dates worked out from Lexington's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 18
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 19
Frost-free days
211
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Lexington · 0.3 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 | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 12 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 17 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 31 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 16 |
| Peas | — | Feb 21 – Mar 21 | Apr 17 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | May 31 |
| 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 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 7 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 2 |
| Winter squash | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | Jun 10 |
| 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 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 14 |
Lexington'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 | Mar 23 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Mar 28 |
| 1966 | Apr 11 |
| 1967 | Mar 22 |
| 1968 | Apr 25 |
| 1969 | Apr 1 |
| 1970 | Apr 3 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1974 | Apr 9 |
| 1975 | Apr 14 |
| 1976 | May 9 |
| 1977 | Mar 24 |
| 1978 | Apr 21 |
| 1979 | Mar 26 |
| 1980 | Apr 5 |
| 1981 | Mar 25 |
| 1982 | Apr 12 |
| 1983 | Apr 25 |
| 1990 | Apr 9 |
| 1991 | Apr 1 |
| 1992 | Apr 4 |
| 1995 | Mar 31 |
| 1996 | Apr 9 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | Mar 19 |
| 2006 | Mar 26 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Mar 31 |
| 2010 | Mar 7 |
| 2011 | Mar 26 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 26 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Mar 22 |
| 2017 | Mar 17 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | Apr 15 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 220 |
| 1964 | 193 |
| 1965 | 210 |
| 1966 | 204 |
| 1967 | 226 |
| 1968 | 183 |
| 1969 | 209 |
| 1970 | 214 |
| 1972 | 220 |
| 1973 | 205 |
| 1974 | 176 |
| 1975 | 213 |
| 1976 | 165 |
| 1977 | 201 |
| 1978 | 176 |
| 1979 | 221 |
| 1981 | 208 |
| 1982 | 197 |
| 1983 | 193 |
| 1990 | 198 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1996 | 207 |
| 1999 | 211 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 209 |
| 2003 | 227 |
| 2004 | 225 |
| 2005 | 220 |
| 2006 | 200 |
| 2007 | 211 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2009 | 226 |
| 2010 | 236 |
| 2011 | 216 |
| 2012 | 200 |
| 2013 | 181 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 222 |
| 2016 | 235 |
| 2017 | 226 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 22.2 °C |
| 1964 | 22.4 °C |
| 1965 | 22.9 °C |
| 1966 | 21.3 °C |
| 1967 | 20.9 °C |
| 1968 | 21.8 °C |
| 1969 | 22.1 °C |
| 1970 | 22.1 °C |
| 1972 | 21.9 °C |
| 1973 | 21.6 °C |
| 1974 | 21.0 °C |
| 1975 | 21.4 °C |
| 1976 | 20.6 °C |
| 1977 | 23.0 °C |
| 1978 | 22.5 °C |
| 1979 | 21.3 °C |
| 1980 | 23.0 °C |
| 1981 | 22.3 °C |
| 1982 | 22.3 °C |
| 1983 | 22.2 °C |
| 1990 | 22.2 °C |
| 1991 | 23.4 °C |
| 1992 | 21.6 °C |
| 1996 | 22.9 °C |
| 1999 | 23.2 °C |
| 2000 | 22.6 °C |
| 2001 | 22.4 °C |
| 2002 | 22.9 °C |
| 2003 | 21.6 °C |
| 2004 | 21.7 °C |
| 2005 | 22.3 °C |
| 2006 | 22.3 °C |
| 2007 | 23.3 °C |
| 2008 | 21.8 °C |
| 2009 | 21.6 °C |
| 2010 | 23.8 °C |
| 2011 | 22.8 °C |
| 2012 | 22.6 °C |
| 2013 | 21.2 °C |
| 2014 | 21.5 °C |
| 2015 | 22.1 °C |
| 2016 | 22.9 °C |
| 2018 | 22.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1963, Lexington's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Lexington (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.