Birmingham, AL 35212 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Birmingham, AL?
Around 03/21 is the usual last spring frost, about 205 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/11, about 236 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Birmingham in Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 11 weeks of growing season left in Birmingham before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Birmingham's last frost
03/21 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/28 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/08 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Birmingham compares
Birmingham's growing season runs about 236 days, ranking 9,220 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within AL, it ranks 353 of 809.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Birmingham's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Birmingham's dates instead of trusting one.