Memphis, TN · zone 8a · ~240 frost-free days
When to plant a garden in Memphis.
In Memphis, the typical last spring frost lands around Mar 17 and the first fall frost around Nov 12, giving you about 240 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 Memphis, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Feb 10 to Apr 12 | Mar 24 to May 24 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Feb 7 to Mar 24 | Aug 29 to Oct 28 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 7 to Mar 12 | Aug 17 to Sep 12 |
| Bush Bean | — | Mar 17 to May 7 | Jul 29 to Aug 31 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Mar 24 to Jun 23 | Jul 12 to Aug 12 |
| Pepper, bell | Feb 19 to Apr 12 | Apr 2 to May 24 | — |
| Kale | Dec 27 to Jan 24 | Feb 7 to Mar 7 | Aug 12 to Sep 27 |
| Spinach | — | Jan 24 to Mar 7 | Aug 29 to Oct 17 |
Memphis sits in Zone 8a, 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 Memphis 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 38103 in about 60 seconds.