Atlanta frost dates and planting season

Name: Atlanta
Address: Georgia, United States

When to plant vegetables here. Cover calendars (fleece, cold frame, unheated greenhouse) are on each plant’s when-to-plant page.

Atlanta has a long growing season, with roughly 275 frost-free days between the typical frost dates. Typical last spring frost: around February 28 (half of years later). Typical first fall frost: around December 1. Plant cool-season crops after about February 2; wait until about March 23 for warm-season crops.

Frost-free days275Feb 28 – Dec 1

Frost-free season in Atlanta. Based on average frost dates. Adjust a week or two for your conditions.

Cover calendars (fleece, cold frame, unheated greenhouse) live on each crop’s when-to-plant page.

Weekly possible temperature10 – 96 °F

Frost-free days275

Typical last spring frostFebruary 28

Typical first fall frostDecember 1

Days suitable for warm-season vegetables231 (March 23 – November 8)

Days suitable for cool-season vegetables210 (February 2 – May 31; September 14 – December 13)

Calculated by Plan & Plant · Method · Data 2019–2026

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics. Microclimates vary; they are not a guarantee.

Frost dates calculated by Plan & Plant from Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Local frost pockets, valleys and coastal sites can differ by 1–3 weeks.

How we calculated this

Data: ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo, cell 33.70, -84.40, years 2019–2026 (not a 30-year climate normal yet).
Typical and safer dates: Typical last frost is the date after which half of winters in this sample had no more frost; safer is later in the sample so fewer winters still frosted.
Confidence: Provisional — short or thin sample for this place.
Full methodology (algorithm 2026-10-season-6).

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What to plant when

Cool-season vegetables

Earliest outdoor start: February 2

Suitable window: February 2 – May 31; September 14 – December 13

Cool-season crops prefer cooler weather.

Midsummer is often too hot, so suitable weeks split into more than one window.

See cool-season details

Warm-season vegetables

Earliest outdoor start: March 23

Suitable window: March 23 – November 8

Warm-season crops need mild or warm weather and cannot take frost.

Frost kills these crops, and cold snaps set them back.

See warm-season details

Green = usually good weeks to grow; blue or gray = usually too cold for that crop type.

Starter plants for Atlanta

Cool-season

Radish Sow: January 17 – May 26; September 11 – October 30 Planting dates
Arugula Sow: January 17 – May 26; September 11 – October 17 Planting dates
Spinach Sow: January 17 – May 26; September 11 – October 10 Planting dates
Lettuce Sow: January 17 – May 26; September 11 – October 5 Planting dates
Kale Sow: January 17 – March 13 Planting dates
Beet Sow: January 31 – September 2 Planting dates

Warm-season

Zucchini Sow: May 8 – July 2 Planting dates
Cucumber Sow: May 8 – July 2 Planting dates
Green bean Sow: March 21 – August 24 Planting dates
Tomato Transplant: March 14 – May 8 Start indoors, then transplant. Planting dates
Bell pepper Transplant: May 8 – July 2 Start indoors, then transplant. Planting dates

How these dates are judged

Last frost: The typical last spring date when frost is still expected.
First frost: The typical first fall date when frost returns.
Frost-free days: The approximate days between those two dates.
Cool-season vegetables: Crops that prefer cooler weather, such as lettuce, kale, peas, and radish.
Warm-season vegetables: Crops that need warm weather and cannot take frost, such as tomato, pepper, squash, and beans.

Cool-season planting window

Feb 2 – May 31; Sep 14 – Dec 13 (210 days)

Warm-season planting window

Mar 23 – Nov 8 (231 days)

Usually too cold

January 5 – February 1
December 14 – December 27

Weekly temperatures and planting windows

Temperatures across the year for Atlanta, with cool- and warm-season weeks and frost dates.

Possible min to max
Average min to max
Suitable
Tolerable
Too cold
Too hot

Selected week · tap a week or use the arrows

Week 6 · Feb 2 – Feb 8

Average 40 to 58 °F · Possible 26 to 72 °F

Cool season: tolerable

Warm season: too cold

A week is suitable for a crop type when its average low and high sit inside that type's range and its possible readings stay within the frost and heat limits (cool: 28 °F to 81 °F, warm: 32 °F to 90 °F); crossing a limit makes it tolerable, and for warm crops any chance of frost makes it too cold.

Based on average frost dates.

Georgia, United States · 33.7, -84.4 · 2026

Coldest weekly possible temperature10 °F

Hottest weekly possible temperature96 °F

Last expected spring frostFebruary 28

First expected fall frostDecember 1

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