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Frost dates for Shelby Bottoms Nature, Tennessee

Half of years have their last spring frost by April 1, but 1 year in 10 still frosts after April 16.

A frost date is really a percentile from 30 years of records at a nearby weather station: in about half of years a frost still comes after the median date. Both numbers are below, so you can choose the risk yourself.

The odds

Last spring frost

How often a frost still comes on or after each date.

1 year in 10
April 16
1 year in 5
April 11
3 years in 10
April 7
2 years in 5
April 4
Half of years (the median)
April 1

First fall freeze

How often the first freeze comes on or before each date.

1 year in 10
October 18
1 year in 5
October 22
3 years in 10
October 25
2 years in 5
October 28
Half of years (the median)
October 31
Growing season
about 213 days
Hardiness zones nearby
7a, 7b
Summer days
a usual high of about 31 °C88 °F
Lettuce and spinach run to seed
May to September, in hot, long days (how we know)

Summer and rain

A growing garden needs about 25 mm1 in of water a week, rain and watering together. Here is what a normal month brings.

Month by month

January
high ~9 °C48 °F · low ~-2 °C28 °F · rain ~119 mm4.7 in
February
high ~11 °C52 °F · low ~0 °C31 °F · rain ~117 mm4.6 in
March
high ~17 °C62 °F · low ~4 °C39 °F · rain ~137 mm5.4 in
April
high ~22 °C72 °F · low ~9 °C47 °F · rain ~122 mm4.8 in
May
high ~27 °C80 °F · low ~13 °C56 °F · rain ~135 mm5.3 in
June
high ~30 °C87 °F · low ~18 °C64 °F · rain ~110 mm4.3 in
July
high ~32 °C89 °F · low ~20 °C68 °F · rain ~110 mm4.3 in
August
high ~31 °C89 °F · low ~19 °C67 °F · rain ~94 mm3.7 in
September
high ~29 °C84 °F · low ~15 °C59 °F · rain ~107 mm4.2 in
October
high ~23 °C73 °F · low ~8 °C47 °F · rain ~96 mm3.8 in
November
high ~16 °C62 °F · low ~3 °C37 °F · rain ~96 mm3.8 in
December
high ~11 °C51 °F · low ~0 °C32 °F · rain ~109 mm4.3 in

Where these numbers come from

NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 Climate Normals, the Shelby Bottoms Nature station (listed by NOAA as Shelby Bottoms Nature, USC00408238), at 36.17, -86.72. These are that station’s own records, unshifted. The further your garden is from it, the less exactly they describe your ground. The planner finds the nearest station to your garden and lowers its confidence with distance, so no number is presented as if it were measured in your garden.

Cold air also pools in low ground on the clear, still nights when frost happens, so a hollow can freeze while a slope a few hundred feet away does not. No table can know that about your garden. A few seasons of your own logged frosts can.

ZIP codes nearest this station

37072, 37073, 37075, 37080, 37115, 37138, 37188, 37189, 37201, 37203, 37205, 37206…

+13 moreShow fewer

37207, 37208, 37209, 37210, 37212, 37213, 37216, 37218, 37219, 37228, 37240, 37243, 37246.

Nearby stations

The nearest stations and how their last-frost dates compare. Together they show how frost varies across your area.

Other stations in Tennessee.

What can I plant now? ›

When do I plant? · Where the dates come from

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