Last and first frost dates in Knoxville

When is the last frost in Knoxville?

The last frost in Knoxville usually comes around 29 March: that is the median of 2016–2025, so in about half of those years the last night at or below 0 °C came later. Hardy crops start before it and frost-tender ones only after it: in the table below arugula can go into open ground from 8 March, while corn waits until 5 April. The first autumn frost follows around 12 November, about 228 days later: harvest or cover frost-tender crops before then.

When to sow and plant

Planting out: a week after the last frost once the soil is warm enough for the crop; frost-hardy crops three weeks before it; an unheated greenhouse three weeks earlier. Seedlings are sown so they are ready on that day. Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

What planting zone is Knoxville?

The official USDA map (2023, 1991–2020 data) puts the centre of Knoxville (ZIP 37902) in zone 7b. Zone 7b stands for an average coldest night of 5 to 10 °F (-15 to -12.2 °C), so perennials hardy to zone 7b or a colder zone should come through a typical winter here.

Check the official USDA map for Knoxville: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

When the soil warms up in Knoxville

The day the top 7 cm of soil first averages each temperature over a week, median of 2016–2025 (ERA5 via Open-Meteo). The soil reaches 10 °C 45 days before the last spring frost and 15 °C 5 days after it.

Frost dates near Knoxville

Of the nearest cities on our list, the last spring frost ends earliest in Athens (United States) (12 March) and latest in Asheville (12 April).

Seeds, seedlings and markets in Knoxville

Within 15 km of Knoxville OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 1 plant nursery and 5 markets (collected 20 October 2026). The nearest garden centre to the city centre is Plush Moon Terrarium, 2 km away.

• Plush Moon Terrarium — garden centre
  East 5th Avenue 1423, 37917-7713 Knoxville · Thu–Fri 17:00–20:00; Sat 12:00–18:00; Sun 12:00–16:00 · 2 km
• Stanley's Greenhouse — plant nursery
  Davenport Road 3029, 37920 Knoxville · 2 km
• Central Filling Station — market
  North Central Street 900, Knoxville · 2 km · knoxfoodpark.com
• Mayo Garden Center — garden centre
  Kingston Pike 4718, 37919 · Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00; Sun 00:00–17:00 · 6 km · mayogardencenters.com
• The Shrimp Dock - Bearden — market
  Kingston Pike 5210, 37919 Knoxville · Mon–Thu 10:00–18:00; Fri 10:00–19:00; Sat 10:00–18:00; Sun 11:00–16:00 · 7 km · shrimpdock.com
• Lovedays Garden Center — garden centre
  Chapman Highway 8105, Knoxville · 11 km

• Where to buy seeds and seedlings in Knoxville
• Selling your own harvest in the United States

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Weather in Knoxville by month

Average weather in Knoxville over 2016–2025: the warmest month is July. Months that average 20 °C or more by day: April–October (20.8–31.6 °C). Months that average 30 °C or more by day: July (31.6 °C) and August (30.2 °C). Nights average below 0 °C in January (-0.5 °C). About 1260 mm of rain falls in a year, on 133 days; February is the wettest month (163 mm) and November the driest (77 mm).

Average of the daily highs and lows, rain per month and days with at least 1 mm (ERA5 via Open-Meteo, the same grid cell as the frost dates).

Planted in autumn

From a month before the first autumn frost, so the roots grow before winter, to the late-planting limit on each crop’s page (about two weeks before the ground freezes, by ten years of weather).