Frost Report

All states Tennessee

Frost dates for Pittman Center, 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

May 22

typical year

Safe to plant

June 11

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 1

typical year

Growing season

132 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 – Apr 24 – May 8 –
Spinach – Apr 10 – May 1 Aug 6 – 20
Lettuce – Apr 24 – May 15 Aug 6 – 20
Radishes – Apr 24 – Jun 5 Aug 20 – Sep 3
Onions – Apr 24 – May 8 –
Potatoes – May 1 – 15 –
Carrots – May 1 – 22 Jul 9 – 23
Beets – Apr 24 – May 8 Jul 23 – Aug 6
Kale Mar 13 – 27 Apr 24 – May 8 Jul 23 – Aug 6
Broccoli Mar 13 – 27 May 8 – 22 Jul 23 – Aug 6
Cabbage Feb 27 – Mar 13 Apr 24 – May 8 Jul 23 – Aug 6
Garlic – – Aug 20 – Sep 10
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Apr 16 – 30 Jun 11 – 25 –
Peppers Apr 9 – 23 Jun 18 – Jul 2 –
Cucumbers – Jun 11 – Jul 2 –
Zucchini – Jun 11 – Jul 9 –
Pumpkins – Jun 11 – Jul 2 –
Green beans – Jun 11 – Jul 23 –
Sweet corn – Jun 11 – Jul 9 –
Basil May 7 – 21 Jun 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 June 11May 22May 7
Fall frost before September 15October 1October 15

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 May 9 (May 26 in a late year), and the first one in fall around October 10.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 1 town.

Pittman Center

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station MT LECONTE, TN US (USC00406328), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 1 zip code, all within 2 miles:

37738

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