USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 35739 — Ardmore, Alabama
Averages from Ardmore, Tn US, the nearest reporting station, 2.8 miles away.
Plant tender crops after March 30, and expect the first autumn freeze around November 4. That leaves about 223 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- March 30
- First fall frost
- November 4
- Growing season
- 223 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
5 to 10°F annual low
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 43%
- Snow per year
- 1.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
10 of 23 observed
NOAA normal
When it snows in Ardmore, Alabama
Measurable snow is rare here: only 10 of 23 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Athens, Al US, 15.7 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
For a gardener, snow matters less than frost: a light snow on frozen ground changes nothing, while a hard frost on an unprotected bed ends the season. Use the frost dates above for planting and the snow dates for getting hoses drained, mulch down and tender pots indoors.
Planting calendar for 35739
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 19 – February 2 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 2 – February 16 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 2 – March 16 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 30 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 12 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 21 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 4 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after March 30 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Ardmore, Alabama are past their last freeze. Harvest before November 4, which leaves roughly 223 frost-free days.
ZIP 35739 sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 5 to 10°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.