Mobile, AL · zone 9a · ~281 frost-free days
When to plant in Mobile: frost dates and zone 9a.
In Mobile, the typical last spring frost lands around Feb 24 and the first fall frost around Dec 2, giving you about 281 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 Mobile, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Jan 20 to Mar 22 | Mar 3 to May 3 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Jan 17 to Mar 3 | Sep 18 to Nov 17 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 17 to Feb 19 | Sep 6 to Oct 2 |
| Bush Bean | — | Feb 24 to Apr 16 | Aug 18 to Sep 20 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Mar 3 to Jun 2 | Aug 1 to Sep 1 |
| Pepper, bell | Jan 29 to Mar 22 | Mar 12 to May 3 | — |
| Kale | Dec 6 to Jan 3 | Jan 17 to Feb 14 | Sep 1 to Oct 17 |
| Spinach | — | Jan 3 to Feb 14 | Sep 18 to Nov 6 |
Mobile sits in Zone 9a, 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 Mobile 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 36602 in about 60 seconds.
Mobile planting questions
What planting zone is Mobile, AL?+
Mobile is in USDA hardiness zone 9a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 9a 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 Mobile?+
The typical last spring frost in Mobile, AL is around Feb 24. 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 Mobile?+
The typical first fall frost in Mobile, AL arrives around Dec 2, closing a growing season of roughly 281 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Mobile?+
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 Feb 24. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.