When to plant in Parsons, TN
Planting dates worked out from Parsons'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 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 28
1 year in 10 by Oct 18
Frost-free days
200
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Parsons Wtp · 4.7 km away · station 126 m, town 151 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) | Feb 1 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 17 |
| Peas | — | Feb 22 – Mar 22 | Apr 18 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | May 31 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 15 – Apr 26 | May 14 |
| Beet | — | Mar 8 – Apr 19 | Apr 27 |
| Potato | — | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | May 24 |
| Kale | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 20 |
| Broccoli | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | May 7 |
| 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 8 – Mar 29 | Jun 6 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 14 – Nov 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 22 – Mar 22 | Apr 1 |
| Basil | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 14 |
Parsons'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 |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Mar 22 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | Apr 25 |
| 2006 | Apr 12 |
| 2007 | Apr 16 |
| 2008 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 7 |
| 2011 | Mar 11 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Mar 30 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Mar 26 |
| 2017 | Mar 17 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2019 | Apr 5 |
| 2020 | Apr 16 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Mar 27 |
| 2023 | Mar 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 214 |
| 1999 | 209 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 191 |
| 2004 | 225 |
| 2006 | 183 |
| 2007 | 200 |
| 2008 | 196 |
| 2009 | 193 |
| 2010 | 236 |
| 2011 | 223 |
| 2012 | 199 |
| 2013 | 208 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2016 | 228 |
| 2017 | 226 |
| 2018 | 184 |
| 2019 | 209 |
| 2020 | 199 |
| 2021 | 177 |
| 2022 | 204 |
| 2023 | 215 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 23.2 °C |
| 1999 | 22.8 °C |
| 2000 | 22.4 °C |
| 2001 | 22.3 °C |
| 2004 | 21.8 °C |
| 2005 | 22.4 °C |
| 2006 | 22.6 °C |
| 2007 | 23.2 °C |
| 2008 | 22.1 °C |
| 2009 | 22.0 °C |
| 2010 | 24.1 °C |
| 2011 | 22.9 °C |
| 2012 | 22.7 °C |
| 2013 | 21.9 °C |
| 2014 | 21.6 °C |
| 2015 | 22.4 °C |
| 2016 | 23.1 °C |
| 2017 | 22.5 °C |
| 2018 | 23.1 °C |
| 2019 | 23.2 °C |
| 2020 | 22.0 °C |
| 2021 | 21.8 °C |
| 2022 | 22.9 °C |
| 2023 | 22.0 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Parsons Wtp (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.