Nashville, TN · zone 7a · ~214 frost-free days
When to plant in Nashville: frost dates and zone 7a.
In Nashville, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 1 and the first fall frost around Nov 1, giving you about 214 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 Nashville, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Feb 25 to Apr 27 | Apr 8 to Jun 8 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Feb 22 to Apr 8 | Aug 18 to Oct 17 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 22 to Mar 27 | Aug 6 to Sep 1 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 1 to May 22 | Jul 18 to Aug 20 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 8 to Jul 8 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 6 to Apr 27 | Apr 17 to Jun 8 | — |
| Kale | Jan 11 to Feb 8 | Feb 22 to Mar 22 | Aug 1 to Sep 16 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 8 to Mar 22 | Aug 18 to Oct 6 |
Nashville sits in Zone 7a, 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 Nashville 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 37203 in about 60 seconds.
Nashville planting questions
What planting zone is Nashville, TN?+
Nashville is in USDA hardiness zone 7a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 7a 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 Nashville?+
The typical last spring frost in Nashville, TN is around Apr 1. 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 Nashville?+
The typical first fall frost in Nashville, TN arrives around Nov 1, closing a growing season of roughly 214 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Nashville?+
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 1. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.