When to plant in Winchester, TN
Planting dates worked out from Winchester's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 22
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 8
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 28
1 year in 10 by Oct 11
Frost-free days
204
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Winchester 5se · 7.8 km away · station 287 m, town 298 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 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 16 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 21 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 4 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 20 |
| Peas | — | Feb 25 – Mar 25 | Apr 21 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 4 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 18 – Apr 29 | May 17 |
| Beet | — | Mar 11 – Apr 22 | Apr 30 |
| Potato | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 27 |
| Kale | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 23 |
| Broccoli | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Apr 1 | May 10 |
| Cucumber | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 11 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 6 |
| Winter squash | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jul 11 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 14 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 11 – Apr 1 | Jun 9 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 14 – Nov 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 25 – Mar 25 | Apr 4 |
| Basil | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 18 |
Winchester'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 |
|---|---|
| 1986 | Apr 24 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Apr 20 |
| 1989 | Apr 13 |
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 5 |
| 1993 | Apr 17 |
| 1994 | Apr 1 |
| 1995 | Mar 10 |
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1998 | Apr 11 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 15 |
| 2005 | Apr 25 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | May 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2016 | Mar 29 |
| 2017 | Mar 18 |
| 2018 | Apr 17 |
| 2019 | Mar 17 |
| 2020 | May 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Mar 15 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1986 | 202 |
| 1987 | 198 |
| 1988 | 175 |
| 1989 | 189 |
| 1990 | 196 |
| 1991 | 189 |
| 1993 | 193 |
| 1994 | 208 |
| 1995 | 238 |
| 1996 | 190 |
| 1998 | 208 |
| 1999 | 209 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2003 | 227 |
| 2004 | 204 |
| 2005 | 181 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 206 |
| 2008 | 194 |
| 2009 | 192 |
| 2010 | 216 |
| 2011 | 168 |
| 2012 | 201 |
| 2013 | 187 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2016 | 225 |
| 2017 | 225 |
| 2018 | 206 |
| 2019 | 228 |
| 2020 | 205 |
| 2021 | 205 |
| 2022 | 216 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1986 | 22.5 °C |
| 1987 | 22.5 °C |
| 1988 | 22.3 °C |
| 1989 | 21.1 °C |
| 1990 | 22.1 °C |
| 1991 | 22.6 °C |
| 1993 | 21.2 °C |
| 1994 | 21.2 °C |
| 1995 | 21.8 °C |
| 1996 | 21.1 °C |
| 1997 | 20.4 °C |
| 1999 | 22.5 °C |
| 2001 | 21.4 °C |
| 2003 | 21.4 °C |
| 2004 | 20.9 °C |
| 2005 | 21.3 °C |
| 2006 | 21.9 °C |
| 2007 | 22.0 °C |
| 2008 | 21.1 °C |
| 2009 | 21.0 °C |
| 2010 | 23.0 °C |
| 2011 | 22.3 °C |
| 2012 | 22.0 °C |
| 2013 | 21.3 °C |
| 2014 | 21.5 °C |
| 2016 | 22.9 °C |
| 2017 | 22.0 °C |
| 2018 | 22.5 °C |
| 2019 | 23.4 °C |
| 2020 | 22.0 °C |
| 2021 | 22.0 °C |
| 2022 | 22.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1986, Winchester's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Winchester 5se (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.