USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 38773 — Shaw, Mississippi
Averages from Cleveland, Ms US, the nearest reporting station, 8.7 miles away.
Plant tender crops after March 14, and expect the first autumn freeze around November 15. That leaves about 248 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- March 14
- First fall frost
- November 15
- Growing season
- 248 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
15 to 20°F annual low
Planting calendar for 38773
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 3 – January 17 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 17 – January 31 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 14 – February 28 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 14 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 23 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 1 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 15 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 14 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Shaw, Mississippi are past their last freeze. Harvest before November 15, which leaves roughly 248 frost-free days.
ZIP 38773 sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 15 to 20°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.