Knoxville, TN 37912 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Knoxville, TN?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/01, roughly 216 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/02, about 215 frost-free days later.
Knoxville sits in USDA Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a 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
Knoxville's growing season runs about 215 days, ranking 13,992 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within TN, it ranks 208 of 770.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Knoxville can differ from the 37912 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Knoxville's frost date answer different questions.