Knoxville, TN · zone 7b · ~203 frost-free days
When to plant in Knoxville: frost dates and zone 7b.
In Knoxville, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 9 and the first fall frost around Oct 29, giving you about 203 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 Knoxville, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 5 to May 5 | Apr 16 to Jun 16 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 2 to Apr 16 | Aug 15 to Oct 14 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 2 to Apr 4 | Aug 3 to Aug 29 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 9 to May 30 | Jul 15 to Aug 17 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 16 to Jul 16 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 14 to May 5 | Apr 25 to Jun 16 | — |
| Kale | Jan 19 to Feb 16 | Mar 2 to Mar 30 | Jul 29 to Sep 13 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 16 to Mar 30 | Aug 15 to Oct 3 |
Knoxville 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 Knoxville 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 37902 in about 60 seconds.
Knoxville planting questions
What planting zone is Knoxville, TN?+
Knoxville 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 Knoxville?+
The typical last spring frost in Knoxville, TN is around Apr 9. 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 Knoxville?+
The typical first fall frost in Knoxville, TN arrives around Oct 29, closing a growing season of roughly 203 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Knoxville?+
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 Apr 9. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.