Chattanooga, TN · zone 7b · ~221 frost-free days
When to plant in Chattanooga: frost dates and zone 7b.
In Chattanooga, the typical last spring frost lands around Mar 30 and the first fall frost around Nov 6, giving you about 221 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Chattanooga, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Feb 23 to Apr 25 | Apr 6 to Jun 6 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Feb 20 to Apr 6 | Aug 23 to Oct 22 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 20 to Mar 25 | Aug 11 to Sep 6 |
| Bush Bean | — | Mar 30 to May 20 | Jul 23 to Aug 25 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 6 to Jul 6 | Jul 6 to Aug 6 |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 4 to Apr 25 | Apr 15 to Jun 6 | — |
| Kale | Jan 9 to Feb 6 | Feb 20 to Mar 20 | Aug 6 to Sep 21 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 6 to Mar 20 | Aug 23 to Oct 11 |
Chattanooga sits in Zone 7b, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Chattanooga garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 37402 in about 60 seconds.
Chattanooga planting questions
What planting zone is Chattanooga, TN?+
Chattanooga is in USDA hardiness zone 7b. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 7b here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Chattanooga?+
The typical last spring frost in Chattanooga, TN is around Mar 30. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Chattanooga?+
The typical first fall frost in Chattanooga, TN arrives around Nov 6, closing a growing season of roughly 221 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Chattanooga?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Mar 30. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.