Frost Report

All states Tennessee

Frost dates for Brownsville, TN

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 29

typical year

Safe to plant

April 15

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 5

typical year

Growing season

221 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 – Mar 1 – 15 –
Spinach – Feb 15 – Mar 8 Sep 10 – 24
Lettuce – Mar 1 – 22 Sep 10 – 24
Radishes – Mar 1 – Apr 12 Sep 24 – Oct 8
Onions – Mar 1 – 15 –
Potatoes – Mar 8 – 22 –
Carrots – Mar 8 – 29 Aug 13 – 27
Beets – Mar 1 – 15 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Kale Jan 18 – Feb 1 Mar 1 – 15 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Broccoli Jan 18 – Feb 1 Mar 15 – 29 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Cabbage Jan 4 – 18 Mar 1 – 15 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Garlic – – Sep 24 – Oct 15
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 18 – Mar 4 Apr 15 – 29 –
Peppers Feb 11 – 25 Apr 22 – May 6 –
Cucumbers – Apr 15 – May 6 –
Zucchini – Apr 15 – May 13 –
Pumpkins – Apr 15 – May 6 –
Green beans – Apr 15 – Aug 27 –
Sweet corn – Apr 15 – May 13 –
Basil Mar 11 – 25 Apr 22 – 29 –

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 15March 29March 9
Fall frost before October 24November 5November 22

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 16 (April 5 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 17.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 2 towns.

Brownsville, Stanton

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station BROWNSVILLE, TN US (USC00401145), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 2 zip codes, all within 11 miles:

38012, 38069

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