Frost Report

All states Tennessee

Frost dates for Harrogate, 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

April 23

typical year

Safe to plant

May 11

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 19

typical year

Growing season

177 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 26 – Apr 9 –
Spinach – Mar 12 – Apr 2 Aug 24 – Sep 7
Lettuce – Mar 26 – Apr 16 Aug 24 – Sep 7
Radishes – Mar 26 – May 7 Sep 7 – 21
Onions – Mar 26 – Apr 9 –
Potatoes – Apr 2 – 16 –
Carrots – Apr 2 – 23 Jul 27 – Aug 10
Beets – Mar 26 – Apr 9 Aug 10 – 24
Kale Feb 12 – 26 Mar 26 – Apr 9 Aug 10 – 24
Broccoli Feb 12 – 26 Apr 9 – 23 Aug 10 – 24
Cabbage Jan 29 – Feb 12 Mar 26 – Apr 9 Aug 10 – 24
Garlic – – Sep 7 – 28
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 16 – 30 May 11 – 25 –
Peppers Mar 9 – 23 May 18 – Jun 1 –
Cucumbers – May 11 – Jun 1 –
Zucchini – May 11 – Jun 8 –
Pumpkins – May 11 – Jun 1 –
Green beans – May 11 – Aug 10 –
Sweet corn – May 11 – Jun 8 –
Basil Apr 6 – 20 May 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 May 11April 23April 9
Fall frost before October 8October 19November 1

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 April 10 (April 26 in a late year), and the first one in fall around October 28.

Towns that use these dates

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

Middlesborough, KY, Harrogate, New Tazewell, Tazewell, Cumberland Gap

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station TAZEWELL, TN US (USC00408868), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 11 zip codes, all within 17 miles:

24248, 37724, 37752, 37825, 37851, 37870, 37879, 37881, 37888, 40813, 40965

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