When to plant in Somerville, TN
Planting dates worked out from Somerville'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
Mar 31
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 30
1 year in 10 by Oct 16
Frost-free days
220
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Moscow · 20.0 km away · station 102 m, town 121 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 27 – Feb 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 12 |
| Peas | — | Feb 17 – Mar 17 | Apr 13 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | May 31 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 10 – Apr 21 | May 9 |
| Beet | — | Mar 3 – Apr 14 | Apr 22 |
| Potato | — | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | May 19 |
| Kale | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 15 |
| Broccoli | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 24 | May 2 |
| 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 3 – Mar 24 | Jun 1 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 16 – Nov 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 17 – Mar 17 | Mar 27 |
| Basil | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 14 |
Somerville'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 |
|---|---|
| 1921 | Apr 18 |
| 1922 | Mar 22 |
| 1923 | Apr 1 |
| 1924 | Apr 2 |
| 1925 | Mar 28 |
| 1926 | Apr 20 |
| 1927 | Mar 25 |
| 1928 | Apr 16 |
| 1930 | Mar 31 |
| 1931 | Mar 29 |
| 1932 | Mar 28 |
| 1933 | Mar 22 |
| 1934 | Mar 29 |
| 1935 | Apr 16 |
| 1936 | Apr 19 |
| 1937 | Mar 29 |
| 1938 | Apr 10 |
| 1939 | Apr 8 |
| 1940 | Apr 13 |
| 1941 | Mar 30 |
| 1942 | Apr 1 |
| 1943 | Apr 15 |
| 1945 | Mar 10 |
| 1946 | Mar 11 |
| 1947 | Mar 28 |
| 1948 | Mar 29 |
| 1949 | Mar 20 |
| 1951 | Apr 12 |
| 1952 | Apr 7 |
| 1953 | Apr 21 |
| 1954 | Apr 2 |
| 1955 | Mar 30 |
| 1956 | Mar 30 |
| 1957 | Apr 13 |
| 1958 | Mar 28 |
| 1959 | Apr 14 |
| 1960 | Apr 10 |
| 1961 | Apr 7 |
| 1964 | Mar 30 |
| 1971 | Apr 8 |
| 1972 | Apr 2 |
| 1973 | Apr 11 |
| 1974 | Apr 10 |
| 1976 | Apr 10 |
| 1977 | Apr 6 |
| 1978 | Mar 28 |
| 1979 | Mar 26 |
| 1980 | Mar 22 |
| 1981 | Mar 24 |
| 1982 | Apr 11 |
| 1983 | Apr 19 |
| 1984 | Apr 18 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1988 | Mar 19 |
| 1989 | Apr 11 |
| 1990 | Apr 8 |
| 1991 | Apr 1 |
| 1993 | Apr 4 |
| 1994 | Apr 4 |
| 1995 | Apr 1 |
| 1996 | Apr 16 |
| 1997 | Apr 18 |
| 1998 | Mar 13 |
| 1999 | Mar 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Mar 24 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | Mar 15 |
| 2006 | Mar 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 8 |
| 2008 | Mar 24 |
| 2009 | Mar 12 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2012 | Mar 4 |
| 2013 | May 4 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1921 | 177 |
| 1923 | 201 |
| 1924 | 181 |
| 1925 | 196 |
| 1926 | 183 |
| 1927 | 202 |
| 1928 | 197 |
| 1931 | 202 |
| 1932 | 197 |
| 1933 | 217 |
| 1935 | 173 |
| 1936 | 192 |
| 1938 | 196 |
| 1939 | 189 |
| 1940 | 186 |
| 1941 | 221 |
| 1942 | 179 |
| 1943 | 183 |
| 1947 | 224 |
| 1948 | 202 |
| 1951 | 203 |
| 1953 | 191 |
| 1954 | 199 |
| 1955 | 208 |
| 1956 | 223 |
| 1957 | 189 |
| 1958 | 212 |
| 1959 | 205 |
| 1960 | 193 |
| 1961 | 201 |
| 1971 | 209 |
| 1972 | 227 |
| 1973 | 201 |
| 1974 | 175 |
| 1976 | 182 |
| 1977 | 188 |
| 1978 | 191 |
| 1979 | 221 |
| 1980 | 221 |
| 1981 | 209 |
| 1983 | 199 |
| 1984 | 166 |
| 1985 | 209 |
| 1986 | 203 |
| 1988 | 232 |
| 1989 | 191 |
| 1993 | 206 |
| 1994 | 205 |
| 1995 | 208 |
| 1996 | 200 |
| 1998 | 238 |
| 1999 | 221 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2003 | 228 |
| 2004 | 227 |
| 2005 | 222 |
| 2006 | 199 |
| 2007 | 221 |
| 2008 | 217 |
| 2009 | 219 |
| 2010 | 235 |
| 2012 | 238 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1921 | 24.1 °C |
| 1922 | 23.3 °C |
| 1923 | 22.4 °C |
| 1924 | 22.0 °C |
| 1925 | 24.0 °C |
| 1926 | 22.5 °C |
| 1927 | 22.3 °C |
| 1931 | 22.9 °C |
| 1932 | 23.3 °C |
| 1933 | 23.5 °C |
| 1935 | 22.5 °C |
| 1936 | 24.1 °C |
| 1937 | 23.4 °C |
| 1938 | 23.5 °C |
| 1939 | 23.5 °C |
| 1940 | 22.0 °C |
| 1941 | 24.3 °C |
| 1942 | 23.0 °C |
| 1943 | 24.0 °C |
| 1948 | 22.9 °C |
| 1949 | 22.5 °C |
| 1950 | 21.8 °C |
| 1951 | 22.5 °C |
| 1953 | 23.3 °C |
| 1954 | 24.1 °C |
| 1955 | 23.2 °C |
| 1956 | 22.8 °C |
| 1957 | 22.2 °C |
| 1958 | 22.6 °C |
| 1959 | 22.7 °C |
| 1960 | 22.2 °C |
| 1961 | 21.0 °C |
| 1963 | 22.6 °C |
| 1965 | 22.5 °C |
| 1971 | 21.9 °C |
| 1972 | 22.3 °C |
| 1973 | 21.5 °C |
| 1974 | 20.5 °C |
| 1975 | 21.2 °C |
| 1976 | 19.9 °C |
| 1977 | 22.5 °C |
| 1978 | 21.7 °C |
| 1979 | 21.6 °C |
| 1980 | 23.4 °C |
| 1982 | 22.6 °C |
| 1983 | 22.9 °C |
| 1984 | 22.6 °C |
| 1985 | 23.3 °C |
| 1986 | 24.1 °C |
| 1988 | 23.4 °C |
| 1989 | 22.4 °C |
| 1994 | 22.3 °C |
| 1995 | 22.6 °C |
| 1996 | 22.1 °C |
| 1998 | 24.1 °C |
| 1999 | 23.9 °C |
| 2000 | 23.8 °C |
| 2001 | 23.8 °C |
| 2002 | 23.5 °C |
| 2003 | 22.4 °C |
| 2004 | 22.3 °C |
| 2005 | 23.8 °C |
| 2006 | 24.4 °C |
| 2007 | 24.4 °C |
| 2008 | 23.0 °C |
| 2009 | 22.4 °C |
| 2010 | 24.8 °C |
| 2011 | 23.3 °C |
| 2012 | 23.8 °C |
| 2013 | 22.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1921, Somerville's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Moscow (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.