When to plant in Smithville, TN
Planting dates worked out from Smithville's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 30
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 15
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 22
1 year in 10 by Oct 9
Frost-free days
187
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Smithville 2 Se · 3.1 km away · station 271 m, town 316 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 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 24 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 29 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 11 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 27 |
| Peas | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 28 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 12 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 25 – May 6 | May 24 |
| Beet | — | Mar 18 – Apr 29 | May 7 |
| Potato | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | Jun 3 |
| Kale | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 30 |
| Broccoli | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 17 |
| Cucumber | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 19 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 14 |
| Winter squash | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jul 19 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 22 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | Jun 16 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 8 – Nov 5 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 11 |
| Basil | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 26 |
Smithville'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 |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Apr 27 |
| 1973 | Apr 28 |
| 1974 | Apr 25 |
| 1975 | Apr 16 |
| 1976 | May 4 |
| 1977 | Apr 9 |
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1980 | Apr 17 |
| 1981 | Mar 25 |
| 1982 | Apr 24 |
| 1983 | Apr 22 |
| 1989 | Apr 17 |
| 1991 | Apr 1 |
| 1992 | Apr 30 |
| 1993 | Apr 23 |
| 1994 | Apr 9 |
| 1995 | Apr 6 |
| 1996 | Apr 24 |
| 1997 | Apr 20 |
| 1998 | Apr 11 |
| 1999 | Apr 16 |
| 2000 | Apr 10 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 17 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Apr 10 |
| 2011 | Apr 17 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 6 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2017 | Apr 8 |
| 2018 | Apr 30 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | May 9 |
| 2021 | May 13 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1972 | 175 |
| 1973 | 171 |
| 1974 | 160 |
| 1975 | 211 |
| 1976 | 166 |
| 1977 | 185 |
| 1979 | 189 |
| 1980 | 171 |
| 1981 | 191 |
| 1982 | 175 |
| 1989 | 186 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1992 | 171 |
| 1993 | 182 |
| 1994 | 199 |
| 1995 | 198 |
| 1996 | 176 |
| 1997 | 183 |
| 1998 | 193 |
| 1999 | 186 |
| 2000 | 179 |
| 2001 | 179 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 226 |
| 2004 | 208 |
| 2005 | 173 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 195 |
| 2008 | 172 |
| 2009 | 191 |
| 2010 | 178 |
| 2011 | 174 |
| 2012 | 198 |
| 2013 | 186 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 193 |
| 2016 | 210 |
| 2017 | 204 |
| 2018 | 173 |
| 2019 | 196 |
| 2020 | 160 |
| 2021 | 173 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1972 | 20.5 °C |
| 1974 | 19.6 °C |
| 1975 | 20.4 °C |
| 1976 | 19.1 °C |
| 1977 | 21.6 °C |
| 1979 | 19.9 °C |
| 1980 | 21.3 °C |
| 1981 | 20.9 °C |
| 1982 | 19.8 °C |
| 1983 | 19.6 °C |
| 1986 | 21.2 °C |
| 1989 | 19.2 °C |
| 1991 | 21.5 °C |
| 1992 | 19.3 °C |
| 1993 | 20.2 °C |
| 1994 | 19.7 °C |
| 1995 | 20.4 °C |
| 1996 | 19.9 °C |
| 1997 | 19.2 °C |
| 1998 | 21.3 °C |
| 1999 | 20.8 °C |
| 2000 | 20.5 °C |
| 2001 | 20.4 °C |
| 2002 | 21.3 °C |
| 2003 | 20.2 °C |
| 2004 | 20.4 °C |
| 2005 | 20.8 °C |
| 2006 | 21.0 °C |
| 2007 | 21.2 °C |
| 2008 | 20.2 °C |
| 2009 | 20.4 °C |
| 2010 | 22.1 °C |
| 2011 | 20.9 °C |
| 2013 | 20.0 °C |
| 2014 | 20.3 °C |
| 2015 | 20.9 °C |
| 2016 | 21.6 °C |
| 2017 | 20.7 °C |
| 2018 | 21.5 °C |
| 2019 | 21.8 °C |
| 2020 | 20.4 °C |
| 2021 | 20.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1972, Smithville'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 Smithville 2 Se (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.