Frost Report

All states Alabama

Frost dates for Citronelle, AL

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

March 26

typical year

Safe to plant

April 11

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 8

typical year

Growing season

228 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Feb 26 – Mar 12 –
Spinach – Feb 12 – Mar 5 Sep 13 – 27
Lettuce – Feb 26 – Mar 19 Sep 13 – 27
Radishes – Feb 26 – Apr 9 Sep 27 – Oct 11
Onions – Feb 26 – Mar 12 –
Potatoes – Mar 5 – 19 –
Carrots – Mar 5 – 26 Aug 16 – 30
Beets – Feb 26 – Mar 12 Aug 30 – Sep 13
Kale Jan 15 – 29 Feb 26 – Mar 12 Aug 30 – Sep 13
Broccoli Jan 15 – 29 Mar 12 – 26 Aug 30 – Sep 13
Cabbage Jan 1 – 15 Feb 26 – Mar 12 Aug 30 – Sep 13
Garlic – – Sep 27 – Oct 18
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 14 – 28 Apr 11 – 25 –
Peppers Feb 7 – 21 Apr 18 – May 2 –
Cucumbers – Apr 11 – May 2 –
Zucchini – Apr 11 – May 9 –
Pumpkins – Apr 11 – May 2 –
Green beans – Apr 11 – Aug 30 –
Sweet corn – Apr 11 – May 9 –
Basil Mar 7 – 21 Apr 18 – 25 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after April 11March 26March 3
Fall frost before October 25November 8November 27

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around March 10 (March 31 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 20.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 5 towns.

Citronelle, Chatom, State Line, MS, Millry, Silas

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station CHATOM, AL US (USC00011566), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 13 zip codes, all within 28 miles:

36518, 36522, 36529, 36538, 36539, 36553, 36558, 36583, 36584, 36585, 36908, 36919, 39362

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.