Knoxville, TN Planting Dates — Moon Phase Garden

The four dates that matter

Date	When	What it means
Last spring frost (50%)	Apr 1	Half of all years see a freeze after this date. It is an average, not a guarantee.
Last spring frost (10%)	Apr 17	Only one year in ten freezes after this. Use it for anything you cannot afford to replant.
First fall frost (50%)	Nov 2	Half of all years freeze before this date. Fall crops are counted back from here.
First fall frost (10%)	Oct 21	An early-freeze year. If a crop must finish, aim to harvest before this.

USDA zone 7b 215 frost-free days Elevation 961 ft Station Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Ap

Spring & summer planting in Knoxville

Dates are calculated from this location's own last-frost date, not from a generic zone chart. “Best moon days” are the days inside each window that fall in the crop's traditional phase — the same rule the app uses.

Crop	Start seed indoors	Plant outdoors	Best moon days	Days to harvest
Strawberry (crowns) transplant	—	Jan 31 – Mar 11	Feb 1, Mar 3 Full Moon	perennial — first real harvest next season
Garlic cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Feb 13 – Mar 16	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	240–300
Asparagus (crowns) transplant	—	Feb 18 – Mar 25	Feb 24, Mar 25 First Quarter	perennial — first real harvest 2–3 years
Chives either	Feb 4	Feb 18 – Mar 25	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	75–90
Onion (from sets/transplants) cloves/sets	—	Feb 18 – Mar 25	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Peas (English/snap) direct sow	—	Feb 18 – Mar 25	Feb 24, Mar 25 First Quarter	55–75
Spinach direct sow	—	Feb 18 – Mar 25	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	35–50
Cabbage transplant	Jan 28	Feb 25 – Mar 25	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	65–90
Collards either	Feb 18	Feb 25 – Apr 15	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	55–85
Kale either	Feb 18	Feb 25 – Apr 1	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	50–65
Lettuce (leaf) either	Feb 25	Feb 25 – Apr 22	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	40–55
Potato cloves/sets	—	Feb 25 – Apr 1	Mar 3, Apr 1 Full Moon	70–120
Radish direct sow	—	Feb 25 – Apr 22	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	22–35
Turnip direct sow	—	Feb 25 – Apr 8	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	40–60
Broccoli transplant	Jan 28	Mar 2 – Apr 1	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Brussels Sprouts transplant	Jan 28	Mar 2 – Apr 1	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	90–110
Leek transplant	Jan 21	Mar 2 – Apr 1	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	100–120
Lettuce (head) transplant	Feb 11	Mar 2 – Apr 1	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	60–85
Parsley either	Jan 28	Mar 2 – Apr 8	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	70–90
Parsnip direct sow	—	Mar 2 – Apr 8	Mar 3, Apr 1 Full Moon	100–150
Shallot cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Mar 2 – Apr 1	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Beet direct sow	—	Mar 4 – Apr 22	Apr 1 Full Moon	50–65
Kohlrabi either	Feb 18	Mar 4 – Apr 8	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	45–60
Carrot direct sow	—	Mar 11 – Apr 22	Apr 1 Full Moon	65–85
Cauliflower transplant	Jan 28	Mar 11 – Apr 1	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Cilantro direct sow	—	Mar 11 – Apr 22	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	45–70
Swiss Chard direct sow	—	Mar 11 – May 1	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	50–60
Dill direct sow	—	Mar 18 – May 1	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	40–60
Cucumber either	Mar 11	Apr 1 – May 1	Apr 23 First Quarter	50–70
Green Beans (bush) direct sow	—	Apr 1 – May 16	Apr 23 First Quarter	50–65
Oregano transplant	Feb 4	Apr 1 – Apr 22	— First Quarter	cut as needed
Sage transplant	Feb 4	Apr 1 – Apr 22	— First Quarter	cut as needed
Sweet Corn direct sow	—	Apr 1 – May 16	Apr 23 First Quarter	60–100
Thyme transplant	Feb 4	Apr 1 – Apr 22	— First Quarter	cut as needed
Zucchini / Summer Squash either	Mar 11	Apr 1 – May 1	Apr 23 First Quarter	45–60
Basil either	Feb 18	Apr 8 – May 1	Apr 18–22 Waxing Crescent	30–60
Dry Beans direct sow	—	Apr 8 – May 6	Apr 23 First Quarter	85–100
Pole Beans direct sow	—	Apr 8 – May 11	Apr 23 First Quarter	60–75
Pumpkin direct sow	Mar 11	Apr 8 – May 6	Apr 23 First Quarter	90–120
Rosemary transplant	Apr 1	Apr 8 – May 1	Apr 23 First Quarter	cut as needed
Tomatillo transplant	Feb 18	Apr 8 – May 1	Apr 23 First Quarter	60–75
Tomato transplant	Feb 18	Apr 8 – May 1	Apr 23 First Quarter	60–85
Winter Squash direct sow	Mar 11	Apr 8 – May 6	Apr 23 First Quarter	85–110
Cantaloupe / Muskmelon either	Mar 11	Apr 15 – May 6	Apr 23 First Quarter	75–90
Eggplant transplant	Feb 4	Apr 15 – May 6	Apr 23 First Quarter	60–90
Okra direct sow	Mar 4	Apr 15 – May 11	Apr 23 First Quarter	50–70
Pepper transplant	Feb 4	Apr 15 – May 6	Apr 23 First Quarter	60–90
Sweet Potato slips	—	Apr 15 – May 11	May 2–7 Waning Gibbous	90–150
Watermelon either	Mar 11	Apr 15 – May 6	Apr 23 First Quarter	70–90

Fall planting in Knoxville

Fall dates count backward from the first frost, and they add time back for the “fall factor” — days are shortening and cooling, so a crop grows slower than the seed packet promises. Sowing late is the single most common way a fall garden fails.

Crop	Sow or set out	Best moon days	Days to harvest	Hardiness
Tomato	Jun 17 – Jul 23	Jun 21, Jul 21	60–85	very tender
Brussels Sprouts	Jun 20 – Jul 7	Jun 20	90–110	hardy
Potato	Jun 25 – Jul 27	Jun 29	70–120	semi-hardy
Sweet Corn	Jun 30 – Jul 23	Jul 21	60–100	tender
Pole Beans	Jul 10 – Jul 23	Jul 21	60–75	tender
Parsley	Jul 13 – Jul 27	Jul 15–20	70–90	semi-hardy
Okra	Jul 15 – Aug 14	Jul 21	50–70	very tender
Cabbage	Jul 20 – Aug 1	Jul 20	65–90	hardy
Carrot	Jul 20 – Aug 1	Jul 29	65–85	semi-hardy
Collards	Jul 20 – Aug 11	Jul 20	55–85	hardy
Cucumber	Jul 20 – Aug 2	Jul 21	50–70	tender
Broccoli	Jul 25 – Aug 11	—	55–80	hardy
Cauliflower	Jul 25 – Aug 11	—	55–80	semi-hardy
Green Beans (bush)	Jul 25 – Aug 2	—	50–65	tender
Lettuce (head)	Jul 25 – Aug 6	—	60–85	semi-hardy
Peas (English/snap)	Jul 25 – Aug 11	—	55–75	hardy
Beet	Jul 30 – Aug 16	—	50–65	semi-hardy
Kale	Jul 30 – Aug 16	Aug 13–16	50–65	hardy
Swiss Chard	Jul 30 – Aug 16	Aug 13–16	50–60	semi-hardy
Zucchini / Summer Squash	Jul 30 – Aug 7	—	45–60	tender
Basil	Aug 4 – Aug 22	Aug 13–18	30–60	very tender
Kohlrabi	Aug 4 – Aug 21	Aug 13–18	45–60	hardy
Cilantro	Aug 9 – Aug 21	Aug 13–18	45–70	semi-hardy
Lettuce (leaf)	Aug 9 – Aug 26	Aug 13–18	40–55	semi-hardy
Turnip	Aug 9 – Aug 26	—	40–60	hardy
Spinach	Aug 14 – Aug 31	Aug 14–18	35–50	hardy
Dill	Aug 19 – Aug 26	—	40–60	semi-hardy
Radish	Aug 19 – Sep 13	Aug 29–Sep 3	22–35	hardy
Garlic	Oct 3 – Nov 23	Oct 27–31	240–300	hardy
Shallot	Oct 17 – Nov 17	Oct 27–31	90–120	hardy

Bottom line: the 50% frost date is a coin flip, not a green light. If you would be sick about losing a flat of tomatoes, plant to the Apr 17 date instead and keep a row cover handy either way.

Where these numbers come from

The frost dates on this page are observed station normals, not estimates: they come from Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Ap (GHCN USW00013891), one of 6,808 U.S. stations in NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals. The hardiness zone is from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Crop timing is expressed as offsets from your frost dates, drawn from university Extension planting guides.

How precise is any of this?

Extension recommendations for the same crop routinely disagree by two to four weeks, and occasionally more, so these offsets should be presented as windows and starting points rather than deadlines. Three things drive the spread. (1) Regional risk tolerance: for warm-season crops, Colorado State and Utah State put tomatoes, peppers and melons out about 14 days after the last frost, while University of Missouri's calendar works out to roughly 25-35 days after the last frost and University of Maryland's window runs from the frost date itself out to 45 days past it. That is a real 6-week spread for the single most popular garden crop, and it exists because a short-season mountain state is optimizing against a short season while a humid continental state is optimizing against cold, wet spring soil. (2) Soil temperature versus calendar date: most Extension services now say the honest trigger is soil temperature at 4 inches, not the frost date, and the frost-relative number is a convenience translation. A cold, wet spring can push the real date two or three weeks past the calendar recommendation. (3) Days-to-maturity is variety-specific and is measured differently for direct-seeded versus transplanted crops - seed catalogs count from transplant date for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and cole crops, but from sowing for roots and greens - so a 'days to maturity' range of 60-85 for tomato is genuinely 60-85 depending on which packet you bought. Additionally, the average last frost is a 50% probability, meaning half of all years have a frost after that date; Extension services commonly advise waiting 1-2 weeks past it for anything frost-tender, or being prepared to cover. Treat every number here as plus or minus about 10-14 days.

On the station itself: a weather station is one point. Cities hold their heat, valleys pool cold air, and a garden on a north slope can run two weeks behind one a mile away. Treat this page as your starting point and let your own garden correct it — that is exactly what the journal in the app is for.

Nearby locations

Asheville, NC zone 7b Chattanooga, TN zone 8a East Chattanooga, TN zone 7b Johns Creek, GA zone 8a Roswell, GA zone 8a Sandy Springs, GA zone 8a

Want this on your phone, in your garden? Moon Phase Garden keeps your frost dates, your planting windows and tonight's moon phase in one place, works offline, and lets you override these dates with what your own garden actually does. Free and ad-free.

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