Knoxville, TN 37909 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Knoxville, TN?
Around 04/01 is the usual last spring frost, about 216 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/02, about 215 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Knoxville 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 9 weeks of growing season left in Knoxville before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/01 isn't a guarantee
04/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/14 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Knoxville compares
At roughly 215 frost-free days, Knoxville places 13,991 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within TN, it ranks 207 of 770.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Knoxville's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Knoxville's dates instead of trusting one.