Montgomery, AL · zone 8b · ~248 frost-free days
When to plant in Montgomery: frost dates and zone 8b.
In Montgomery, the typical last spring frost lands around Mar 11 and the first fall frost around Nov 14, giving you about 248 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 Montgomery, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Feb 4 to Apr 6 | Mar 18 to May 18 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Feb 1 to Mar 18 | Aug 31 to Oct 30 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 1 to Mar 6 | Aug 19 to Sep 14 |
| Bush Bean | — | Mar 11 to May 1 | Jul 31 to Sep 2 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Mar 18 to Jun 17 | Jul 14 to Aug 14 |
| Pepper, bell | Feb 13 to Apr 6 | Mar 27 to May 18 | — |
| Kale | Dec 21 to Jan 18 | Feb 1 to Mar 1 | Aug 14 to Sep 29 |
| Spinach | — | Jan 18 to Mar 1 | Aug 31 to Oct 19 |
Montgomery sits in Zone 8b, 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 Montgomery 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 36104 in about 60 seconds.
Montgomery planting questions
What planting zone is Montgomery, AL?+
Montgomery is in USDA hardiness zone 8b. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 8b 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 Montgomery?+
The typical last spring frost in Montgomery, AL is around Mar 11. 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 Montgomery?+
The typical first fall frost in Montgomery, AL arrives around Nov 14, closing a growing season of roughly 248 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Montgomery?+
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 11. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.