When to plant in Sewanee, TN
Planting dates worked out from Sewanee'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 3
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 4
1 year in 10 by Oct 23
Frost-free days
214
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Sewanee · 0.4 km away · station 588 m, town 588 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) | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 15 |
| Peas | — | Feb 25 – Mar 25 | Apr 21 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 1 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 13 – Apr 24 | May 12 |
| Beet | — | Mar 6 – Apr 17 | Apr 25 |
| Potato | — | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | May 22 |
| Kale | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 18 |
| Broccoli | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | May 5 |
| 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 6 – Mar 27 | Jun 4 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 21 – Nov 18 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 25 – Mar 25 | Apr 4 |
| Basil | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 15 |
Sewanee'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 |
|---|---|
| 1896 | Apr 3 |
| 1897 | Apr 9 |
| 1899 | Apr 9 |
| 1900 | Apr 13 |
| 1901 | Apr 21 |
| 1902 | Apr 8 |
| 1903 | Apr 23 |
| 1904 | Apr 27 |
| 1905 | Apr 17 |
| 1906 | Apr 1 |
| 1907 | Apr 15 |
| 1909 | Apr 10 |
| 1910 | Apr 26 |
| 1911 | Apr 9 |
| 1912 | Mar 26 |
| 1913 | Mar 28 |
| 1914 | Apr 9 |
| 1915 | Mar 31 |
| 1917 | Apr 14 |
| 1918 | Apr 12 |
| 1919 | Apr 26 |
| 1920 | Apr 14 |
| 1921 | Apr 18 |
| 1922 | Mar 22 |
| 1923 | Apr 9 |
| 1924 | Apr 2 |
| 1925 | Mar 15 |
| 1926 | Apr 16 |
| 1928 | Apr 28 |
| 1929 | Mar 17 |
| 1930 | Mar 29 |
| 1931 | May 8 |
| 1934 | Apr 13 |
| 1936 | Apr 8 |
| 1937 | Mar 29 |
| 1940 | Apr 20 |
| 1941 | Mar 30 |
| 1942 | Apr 12 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Apr 11 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | Apr 25 |
| 2006 | Mar 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 22 |
| 2011 | Mar 26 |
| 2012 | Mar 6 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2016 | Mar 22 |
| 2017 | Mar 19 |
| 2018 | Apr 16 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | Mar 7 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Mar 14 |
| 2023 | Mar 22 |
| 2024 | Apr 6 |
| 2025 | Apr 9 |
| 2026 | Mar 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1896 | 217 |
| 1897 | 220 |
| 1899 | 207 |
| 1900 | 208 |
| 1903 | 183 |
| 1905 | 187 |
| 1906 | 191 |
| 1907 | 180 |
| 1910 | 184 |
| 1911 | 206 |
| 1914 | 200 |
| 1915 | 191 |
| 1917 | 180 |
| 1918 | 202 |
| 1919 | 200 |
| 1920 | 197 |
| 1921 | 198 |
| 1922 | 230 |
| 1924 | 230 |
| 1928 | 196 |
| 1929 | 232 |
| 1930 | 205 |
| 1931 | 207 |
| 1934 | 197 |
| 1936 | 208 |
| 1941 | 222 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 210 |
| 2003 | 216 |
| 2004 | 224 |
| 2005 | 205 |
| 2006 | 210 |
| 2007 | 211 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2010 | 228 |
| 2011 | 216 |
| 2012 | 236 |
| 2016 | 241 |
| 2017 | 222 |
| 2018 | 186 |
| 2019 | 212 |
| 2020 | 239 |
| 2021 | 204 |
| 2022 | 216 |
| 2023 | 223 |
| 2024 | 236 |
| 2025 | 214 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1896 | 21.2 °C |
| 1897 | 19.9 °C |
| 1899 | 21.2 °C |
| 1900 | 21.2 °C |
| 1902 | 21.2 °C |
| 1903 | 19.9 °C |
| 1905 | 20.9 °C |
| 1907 | 19.2 °C |
| 1910 | 19.9 °C |
| 1911 | 21.7 °C |
| 1914 | 21.7 °C |
| 1915 | 20.7 °C |
| 1917 | 19.7 °C |
| 1918 | 20.8 °C |
| 1919 | 20.5 °C |
| 1920 | 19.9 °C |
| 1922 | 20.8 °C |
| 1924 | 20.3 °C |
| 1928 | 19.4 °C |
| 1930 | 22.6 °C |
| 1931 | 20.9 °C |
| 1934 | 21.8 °C |
| 1935 | 21.1 °C |
| 1936 | 22.8 °C |
| 1937 | 21.2 °C |
| 1940 | 20.7 °C |
| 1941 | 22.4 °C |
| 2001 | 19.3 °C |
| 2002 | 20.4 °C |
| 2003 | 19.3 °C |
| 2004 | 20.1 °C |
| 2005 | 20.5 °C |
| 2006 | 21.3 °C |
| 2007 | 21.4 °C |
| 2008 | 20.1 °C |
| 2011 | 21.3 °C |
| 2012 | 21.3 °C |
| 2013 | 20.3 °C |
| 2014 | 20.7 °C |
| 2016 | 21.9 °C |
| 2017 | 20.3 °C |
| 2018 | 21.1 °C |
| 2019 | 21.9 °C |
| 2020 | 20.2 °C |
| 2021 | 20.2 °C |
| 2022 | 21.2 °C |
| 2023 | 20.7 °C |
| 2024 | 21.8 °C |
| 2025 | 21.4 °C |
| 2026 | 22.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1896, Sewanee's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 1 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Sewanee (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.