Tennessee frost dates

Average last spring and first fall frost dates for Tennessee’s largest cities, with each city’s USDA hardiness zone.

Reviewed October 2026

Among Tennessee’s 20 largest cities, the average last spring frost ranges from Mar 16 in Memphis to Apr 19 in Johnson City. Elevation, distance from the coast and city heat all shift the date, so use your own ZIP code below for the closest match.

City	Average last spring frost	Average first fall frost	Frost-free days	Hardiness zone	Weather station used
Nashville	Apr 1	Oct 31	213	7b	Shelby Bottoms Nature, TN, 3 mi
Memphis	Mar 16	Nov 16	245	8a	Memphis Intl Airport, TN, 4 mi
Knoxville	Apr 11	Oct 28	200	7b	Knoxville Exp Stn, TN, 5 mi
Chattanooga	Mar 24	Nov 9	230	8a	Chattanooga Lovell Airport, TN, 4 mi
Clarksville	Apr 3	Nov 1	212	7b	Clarksville Wwtp, TN
Murfreesboro	Apr 9	Oct 27	201	7b	Murfreesboro 5 N, TN, 5 mi
Franklin	Apr 3	Oct 31	211	7b	Franklin Sewage Plt, TN, 2 mi
Johnson City	Apr 19	Oct 24	188	7b	Elizabethton, TN, 7 mi
Jackson	Apr 2	Oct 29	210	7b	Jackson Exp Stn, TN, 2 mi
Hendersonville	Apr 11	Oct 29	201	7b	Old Hickory Dam, TN, 3 mi
Smyrna	Apr 13	Oct 21	191	7b	Smyrna 6S, TN, 4 mi
Spring Hill	Apr 3	Nov 1	212	7b	Thompson Stn, TN
Kingsport	Apr 9	Oct 29	203	7b	Kingsport, TN
Bartlett	Mar 29	Nov 5	221	8a	Memphis Wfo, TN, 7 mi
Gallatin	Apr 16	Oct 23	190	7b	Bethpage 1 S, TN, 10 mi
Collierville	Mar 29	Nov 3	219	8a	Collierville, TN, 3 mi
Lebanon	Apr 6	Oct 28	205	7b	Lebanon, TN, 3 mi
Cleveland	Apr 6	Oct 30	207	7b	Cleveland Fltr Plt, TN, 5 mi
Columbia	Apr 10	Oct 27	200	7b	Columbia 3 Wnw, TN, 3 mi
Brentwood	Apr 15	Oct 26	194	7b	Brentwood, TN

Frost dates are the dates after (spring) or before (fall) which the chance of a 32°F freeze is below 50%, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals for the weather station nearest each city’s center. Zones are from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the ZIP codes around each city; a range means nearby ZIP codes differ. Cities are the 20 largest by Census Bureau 2024 population estimates.

An average is not a guarantee. There’s still about a 1 in 2 chance of frost after the average last spring date. Many gardeners wait an extra week or two before setting out tomatoes, peppers and basil, and keep covers handy.

Planting dates for Nashville

Timed from Nashville’s average last frost of Apr 1, using University of New Hampshire Extension’s planting guidance. For your exact dates, enter your ZIP code in the calendar below.

Crop	Start seeds indoors	Plant outside
Tomatoes	Feb 11 to Feb 25	Apr 8 to Apr 15
Peppers	Feb 4 to Feb 18	Apr 15
Lettuce	Jan 28 to Feb 4	Mar 4 to Mar 11
Broccoli	Jan 21 to Feb 4	Mar 4 to Mar 18
Cucumbers	Mar 11 to Mar 18	Apr 8 to Apr 15
Basil	Feb 18 to Mar 4	Apr 15

When to plant, for your garden

Your seed-starting and planting dates, timed from your last spring frost. Full calendar, 12 crops.

ZIP code

Last frost date

Enter your ZIP code to look up your average last frost date and hardiness zone, or type the date in yourself.

Frost dates: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023, ZIP code data from PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed Oct. 20, 2026.

More about frost dates

How to find your last frost date, and what your zone means · Full planting calendar · How to start seeds indoors

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