When to plant zucchini in Knoxville: 4 May – 26 August

In Knoxville, zucchini: sow for seedlings from 23 March to 5 August; plant into a greenhouse from 13 April to 26 August; plant out into open ground from 4 May to 26 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Stanley's Greenhouse (plant nursery, 2 km) and Lovedays Garden Center (garden centre, 11 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Zucchini in Knoxville: soil, season and weather

In Knoxville the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 29 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the zucchini card — only around 4 May, 36 days later.

Last spring frost	29 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	4 May, 36 days after the last frost
First autumn frost	12 November, 192 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	36
First harvest, if planted in this window	9 June – 1 October
Days left for picking	156
Daylight	13:01 on 13 April, 13:44 on 4 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, November, has 8 rainy days

The same dates in Knoxville hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Pumpkin and Watermelon.

Zucchini in Knoxville: care after planting

Planted on 4 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

Pests and diseases of zucchini to watch for:

Weather in Knoxville during the zucchini season

About 644 mm of rain falls in the season; November is the driest month (77 mm) and May the wettest (115 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	25.3	14.5	115	13	14:03
June	29.6	18.6	82	12	14:35
July	31.6	21.3	87	14	14:23
August	30.2	20.1	111	14	13:33
September	28.3	17.5	85	9	12:27
October	22.7	11.3	87	7	11:19
November	15.7	5.1	77	8	10:17

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Zucchini in nearby cities

Around Knoxville, Atlanta is 21 days earlier and Asheville 20 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Asheville	130 km	24 May – 16 August	20 days later
Chattanooga	156 km	27 April – 26 August	7 days earlier
Greenville	184 km	23 April – 5 September	11 days earlier
Athens (United States)	229 km	17 April – 5 September	17 days earlier
Lexington	231 km	15 May – 21 August	11 days later
Atlanta	249 km	13 April – 5 September	21 days earlier

Where to buy zucchini plants and seeds near Knoxville

Buy plants ready to set out from 4 May to 26 August (from 13 April to 26 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 23 March to 5 August. Within 15 km of Knoxville OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 1 plant nursery and 5 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Lovedays Garden Center — garden centre
Chapman Highway 8105, Knoxville · 11 km
Stanley's Greenhouse — plant nursery
Davenport Road 3029, 37920 Knoxville · 2 km
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
Central Filling Station — market
North Central Street 900, Knoxville · 2 km · knoxfoodpark.com

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.

Questions