Frost dates for Chattanooga, Tennessee
In Chattanooga, half of springs have had their last frost by March 24 (and 1 spring in 10 still has one after April 8), and half of falls have had their first frost by November 9, leaving about 230 frost-free days in a typical year. Here is how sure those dates are, what they mean for planting, and where they come from.
Frost dates for
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Last spring frost
March 24
Half of springs have their last frost by this date. For a safer bet, wait until April 8: only 1 spring in 10 has a frost after that.
First fall frost
November 9
Half of falls have their first frost by this date. In 1 fall in 10 it comes by October 27.
Growing season
230 days
Frost-free days in a typical year. 9 years in 10 get at least 210.
Hardiness zone
7b
2023 USDA map: the coldest night of winter averages 5°F to 10°F. It was 7b on the 2012 map too. ZIP codes within about 6 miles of the city's center: 2 in 7b and 13 in 8a.
Stations near you disagree. NOAA's Chattanooga Lovell Airport (4 miles away, at 670 feet above sea level), the one we used, gives a typical last frost of March 24 and a typical first frost of November 9. NOAA's Soddy Daisy-Mowbray Mountain (15 miles away, at 1,700 feet above sea level) gives a typical last frost of April 7 and a typical first frost of October 29. So the typical last frost could fall anywhere from March 24 to April 7 and the typical first frost from October 29 to November 9, depending on whether your garden is more like one or the other. Local terrain matters: hillsides, valley floors, water and city heat can change frost dates a lot over a few miles. Treat the dates here as a starting point, and compare with a nearby gardener or your county extension office.
Print a year planner for Chattanooga
Frost risk through the year
How sure are these dates?
A frost date is a probability, not a promise. NOAA worked out, from 30 years of nightly lows, how often the last spring frost and the first fall frost fall on each date. The middle column is the typical year. The outer columns are the early and late years that come about once a decade.
| Early year 1 in 10 | Typical year 1 in 2 | Late year 1 in 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last frost in spring | March 6 | March 24 | April 8 |
| First frost in fall | October 27 | November 9 | November 26 |
The frost-free season between them runs 230 days in a typical year. In 1 year in 10 it is 254 days or longer, and in 1 year in 10 it is 210 days or shorter.
- Hard freeze (28°F): typically last on March 11 and first on November 22. It is a harder freeze than the 32°F frost line, cold enough to damage many garden plants; how hardy a crop is decides whether it comes through. (The National Weather Service's own hard-freeze threshold varies from office to office.)
- Frost possible (36°F at the station): typically last on April 4 and first on October 31. On clear, still nights the ground can be several degrees colder than the thermometer, so frost can form on plants when the official reading is in the mid-30s.
In 8 springs out of 10, the last frost in Chattanooga comes between March 6 and April 8, a window of 33 days. That is about average for NOAA's stations (the typical window is 31 days).
Among Tennessee's 148 NOAA stations with a frost every year, 98 percent have their typical last frost later than Chattanooga does.
Planting calendar for Chattanooga
These dates count from the typical last and first frosts, using the planting rules published by Colorado State University Extension (spring), Virginia Cooperative Extension (fall crops) and University of Minnesota Extension (garlic, where winters are hard). Weather in any one year can run early or late, so check the forecast before you plant tender crops.
| When | What to do | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| January | ||
| January 6 to February 3 | Broccoli and cabbage Start seeds indoors | 5 to 7 weeks before planting them out |
| January 20 to February 17 | Cauliflower Start seeds indoors | 5 to 7 weeks before planting out |
| February | ||
| February 3 to 24 | Eggplant Start seeds indoors | 6 to 9 weeks before planting out |
| February 10 to 24 | Peppers Start seeds indoors | 6 to 8 weeks before planting out |
| February 17 to March 3 | Tomatoes Start seeds indoors | 5 to 7 weeks before planting out |
| February 24 to March 10 | Peas, spinach, lettuce, radishes, onion sets, turnips Sow outdoors, as early as | hardy crops: 2 to 4 weeks before the typical last frost |
| February 24 to March 10 | Broccoli and cabbage Plant out, as early as | hardy crops: 2 to 4 weeks before the typical last frost |
| March | ||
| March 10 to 24 | Beets, carrots, potatoes, Swiss chard Plant outdoors, as early as | semi-hardy crops: up to 2 weeks before the typical last frost |
| March 10 to 24 | Cauliflower Plant out, as early as | semi-hardy: up to 2 weeks before the typical last frost |
| March 24 | Snap beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, summer squash Sow outdoors around | tender crops: around the typical last frost date |
| April | ||
| April 7 | Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant Plant out from | very tender: 2 weeks or more after the typical last frost |
| April 7 | Melons, winter squash, pumpkins, lima beans Sow outdoors from | very tender: 2 weeks or more after the typical last frost |
| June | ||
| June 14 to 28 | Cabbage for fall Start seeds | set the plants out by August 2 |
| July | ||
| July 4 to 18 | Broccoli for fall Start seeds | set the plants out by August 22 |
| August | ||
| August 13 | Snap beans for fall Last date to sow | 60 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth, plus 2 weeks because frost kills it |
| August 17 | Carrots for fall Last date to sow | 70 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| August 18 | Cucumbers for fall Last date to sow | 55 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth, plus 2 weeks because frost kills it |
| August 22 | Peas for fall Last date to sow | 65 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| August 23 | Summer squash for fall Last date to sow | 50 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth, plus 2 weeks because frost kills it |
| August 27 | Leaf lettuce and beets for fall Last date to sow | 60 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| September | ||
| September 6 | Turnips and kohlrabi for fall Last date to sow | 50 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| September 16 | Spinach for fall Last date to sow | 40 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| September 26 | Radishes for fall Last date to sow | 30 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| October | ||
| October 27 | Tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons, cucumbers Watch the forecast from | in 1 fall in 10 the first frost comes by this date; pick tender crops before a frost |
| November | ||
| November 29 to December 6 | Garlic Plant cloves | one or two weeks after the typical first hard freeze (28°F), our reading of the first killing frost |
Want more insurance? Shift every spring date 15 days later. That plans around April 8, the date after which only 1 spring in 10 has a frost.
For spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils, plant once the soil has cooled to about 50 to 55°F and keep going until a couple of weeks before the ground freezes. Our guide to fall planting explains how to tell.
Where these numbers come from
These dates come from NOAA's weather station Chattanooga Lovell Airport (station USW00013882), 4 miles from the center of Chattanooga. It sits at about the same elevation, 670 feet above sea level. NOAA rates this station's record as standard: at least 24 of the 30 years, with gaps filled from nearby stations.
The same station also gives the frost dates for East Ridge, Soddy-Daisy, Red Bank and Collegedale.
Our ZIP code lookup matches these 22 ZIP codes to the same station, so they get the same dates: 30726, 37302, 37315, 37341, 37343, 37351, 37363, 37402, 37403, 37404, 37405, 37406, 37407, 37408, 37410, 37411, 37412, 37415, 37416, 37419, 37421, 37450. Hardiness zones are worked out separately for each ZIP code.
The nearest other places with pages
- Huntsville, Alabama: last frost around March 24, first frost around November 8 (85 miles away)
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee: last frost around April 9, first frost around October 27 (85 miles away)
- Knoxville, Tennessee: last frost around April 1, first frost around November 2 (95 miles away)
See frost dates across Tennessee, or look up your own ZIP code for the station nearest you. Want the background? Read what a last frost date really means.