Frost Report

All states Tennessee

Frost dates for Henderson, 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 10

typical year

Safe to plant

April 26

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 25

typical year

Growing season

200 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 13 – 27 –
Spinach – Feb 27 – Mar 20 Aug 30 – Sep 13
Lettuce – Mar 13 – Apr 3 Aug 30 – Sep 13
Radishes – Mar 13 – Apr 24 Sep 13 – 27
Onions – Mar 13 – 27 –
Potatoes – Mar 20 – Apr 3 –
Carrots – Mar 20 – Apr 10 Aug 2 – 16
Beets – Mar 13 – 27 Aug 16 – 30
Kale Jan 30 – Feb 13 Mar 13 – 27 Aug 16 – 30
Broccoli Jan 30 – Feb 13 Mar 27 – Apr 10 Aug 16 – 30
Cabbage Jan 16 – 30 Mar 13 – 27 Aug 16 – 30
Garlic – – Sep 13 – Oct 4
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 1 – 15 Apr 26 – May 10 –
Peppers Feb 22 – Mar 8 May 3 – 17 –
Cucumbers – Apr 26 – May 17 –
Zucchini – Apr 26 – May 24 –
Pumpkins – Apr 26 – May 17 –
Green beans – Apr 26 – Aug 16 –
Sweet corn – Apr 26 – May 24 –
Basil Mar 22 – Apr 5 May 3 – 10 –

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 26April 10March 26
Fall frost before October 12October 25November 8

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 30 (April 14 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 4.

Towns that use these dates

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

Henderson, Finger, Medon, Enville, Silerton

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station HENDERSON 4 W, TN US (USC00404033), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 5 zip codes, all within 13 miles:

38334, 38340, 38347, 38356, 38366

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