Chapel Hill, TN 37180 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Chapel Hill, TN?
Around 04/14 is the usual last spring frost, about 229 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/25, about 192 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Chapel Hill in Zone 7b (5 to 10°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 8 weeks of growing season left in Chapel Hill before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Chapel Hill compares
Chapel Hill's growing season runs about 192 days, ranking 20,395 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within TN, it ranks 632 of 770.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Chapel Hill's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Chapel Hill's dates instead of trusting one.