Frost Report

All states Tennessee

Frost dates for Springfield, 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 9

typical year

Safe to plant

April 28

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 28

typical year

Growing season

201 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 12 – 26 –
Spinach – Feb 26 – Mar 19 Sep 2 – 16
Lettuce – Mar 12 – Apr 2 Sep 2 – 16
Radishes – Mar 12 – Apr 23 Sep 16 – 30
Onions – Mar 12 – 26 –
Potatoes – Mar 19 – Apr 2 –
Carrots – Mar 19 – Apr 9 Aug 5 – 19
Beets – Mar 12 – 26 Aug 19 – Sep 2
Kale Jan 29 – Feb 12 Mar 12 – 26 Aug 19 – Sep 2
Broccoli Jan 29 – Feb 12 Mar 26 – Apr 9 Aug 19 – Sep 2
Cabbage Jan 15 – 29 Mar 12 – 26 Aug 19 – Sep 2
Garlic – – Sep 16 – Oct 7
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 3 – 17 Apr 28 – May 12 –
Peppers Feb 24 – Mar 10 May 5 – 19 –
Cucumbers – Apr 28 – May 19 –
Zucchini – Apr 28 – May 26 –
Pumpkins – Apr 28 – May 19 –
Green beans – Apr 28 – Aug 19 –
Sweet corn – Apr 28 – May 26 –
Basil Mar 24 – Apr 7 May 5 – 12 –

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 28April 9March 22
Fall frost before October 14October 28November 10

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 28 (April 14 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 6.

Towns that use these dates

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

Springfield, Greenbrier, Coopertown, Adams, Cedar Hill

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station SPRINGFIELD EXP STN, TN US (USC00408562), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 4 zip codes, all within 12 miles:

37032, 37073, 37146, 37172

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