Frost Report

All states Mississippi

Frost dates for Natchez, MS

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 16

typical year

Safe to plant

April 6

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 9

typical year

Growing season

237 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 16 – Mar 2 –
Spinach – Feb 2 – 23 Sep 14 – 28
Lettuce – Feb 16 – Mar 9 Sep 14 – 28
Radishes – Feb 16 – Mar 30 Sep 28 – Oct 12
Onions – Feb 16 – Mar 2 –
Potatoes – Feb 23 – Mar 9 –
Carrots – Feb 23 – Mar 16 Aug 17 – 31
Beets – Feb 16 – Mar 2 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Kale Jan 5 – 19 Feb 16 – Mar 2 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Broccoli Jan 5 – 19 Mar 2 – 16 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Cabbage Dec 22 – Jan 5 Feb 16 – Mar 2 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Garlic – – Sep 28 – Oct 19
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 9 – 23 Apr 6 – 20 –
Peppers Feb 2 – 16 Apr 13 – 27 –
Cucumbers – Apr 6 – 27 –
Zucchini – Apr 6 – May 4 –
Pumpkins – Apr 6 – 27 –
Green beans – Apr 6 – Aug 31 –
Sweet corn – Apr 6 – May 4 –
Basil Mar 2 – 16 Apr 13 – 20 –

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 6March 16February 25
Fall frost before October 27November 9November 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 1 (March 21 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 22.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 6 towns.

Natchez, Vidalia, LA, Ferriday, LA, Fayette, Clayton, LA, Ridgecrest, LA

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station NATCHEZ, MS US (USC00226177), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 3 zip codes, all within 19 miles:

39120, 71326, 71334

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