When to plant in Unicoi, TN
Planting dates worked out from Unicoi's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 3
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 25
1 year in 10 by Oct 13
Frost-free days
193
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Erwin 1 W · 9.1 km away · station 524 m, town 586 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 8 – Mar 22 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 2 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 12 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 28 |
| Peas | — | Mar 5 – Apr 2 | Apr 29 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 15 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 25 |
| Beet | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 8 |
| Potato | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | Jun 4 |
| Kale | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | May 1 |
| Broccoli | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | May 18 |
| Cucumber | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 22 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 17 |
| Winter squash | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 22 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 25 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | Jun 17 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 11 – Nov 8 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 5 – Apr 2 | Apr 12 |
| Basil | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 29 |
Unicoi'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 |
|---|---|
| 1980 | May 10 |
| 1981 | May 3 |
| 1989 | May 8 |
| 1991 | Apr 2 |
| 1992 | Apr 30 |
| 1993 | Apr 24 |
| 1994 | Apr 9 |
| 1995 | Apr 4 |
| 1996 | May 2 |
| 1997 | Apr 16 |
| 1998 | Apr 7 |
| 1999 | Mar 30 |
| 2000 | Apr 11 |
| 2001 | Apr 20 |
| 2002 | May 23 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | May 5 |
| 2006 | Mar 28 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Apr 1 |
| 2011 | Apr 17 |
| 2012 | Apr 14 |
| 2013 | Apr 7 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 25 |
| 2016 | Apr 11 |
| 2017 | Apr 10 |
| 2018 | May 2 |
| 2019 | Apr 5 |
| 2020 | May 13 |
| 2021 | Apr 24 |
| 2022 | Apr 11 |
| 2023 | Apr 26 |
| 2024 | Apr 8 |
| 2026 | Mar 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 155 |
| 1981 | 152 |
| 1989 | 152 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1992 | 172 |
| 1993 | 187 |
| 1994 | 200 |
| 1995 | 195 |
| 1996 | 184 |
| 1997 | 189 |
| 1998 | 198 |
| 1999 | 208 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 162 |
| 2003 | 226 |
| 2004 | 184 |
| 2006 | 198 |
| 2007 | 200 |
| 2008 | 173 |
| 2009 | 193 |
| 2010 | 211 |
| 2011 | 187 |
| 2012 | 202 |
| 2013 | 199 |
| 2014 | 197 |
| 2015 | 174 |
| 2016 | 195 |
| 2017 | 199 |
| 2018 | 172 |
| 2019 | 210 |
| 2020 | 172 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 190 |
| 2023 | 188 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 20.2 °C |
| 1981 | 19.8 °C |
| 1989 | 18.7 °C |
| 1990 | 19.9 °C |
| 1991 | 20.6 °C |
| 1992 | 18.9 °C |
| 1993 | 20.2 °C |
| 1994 | 19.4 °C |
| 1995 | 20.1 °C |
| 1996 | 19.6 °C |
| 1997 | 18.5 °C |
| 1998 | 20.9 °C |
| 1999 | 20.3 °C |
| 2000 | 19.8 °C |
| 2001 | 19.6 °C |
| 2002 | 20.7 °C |
| 2003 | 19.8 °C |
| 2004 | 19.9 °C |
| 2006 | 20.3 °C |
| 2007 | 20.6 °C |
| 2008 | 20.1 °C |
| 2009 | 19.9 °C |
| 2010 | 21.5 °C |
| 2011 | 20.6 °C |
| 2012 | 20.4 °C |
| 2013 | 19.5 °C |
| 2014 | 20.0 °C |
| 2015 | 20.6 °C |
| 2016 | 20.7 °C |
| 2017 | 19.7 °C |
| 2018 | 20.2 °C |
| 2019 | 20.9 °C |
| 2020 | 19.2 °C |
| 2021 | 19.1 °C |
| 2022 | 20.1 °C |
| 2023 | 19.3 °C |
| 2024 | 20.5 °C |
| 2026 | 21.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1980, Unicoi's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Erwin 1 W (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.