When to Plant Vegetables in Alabama

Last updated September 6, 2026

Last spring frost (median)

Mar 21

First fall frost (median)

Nov 10

Growing season

~234 days

Across Alabama, the median last frost falls around Mar 21 and the median first fall frost around Nov 10, from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for the weather station nearest each of the state's ZIP codes. Half of years have a later last frost; 1 year in 10 is later than about Apr 8. Every date in the table below is calculated directly from those two dates using standard, extension-verified planting-offset rules, and the ZIP box recalculates it for your own station. If you're new to planting in Alabama, the FAQ further down answers the specific crop questions people ask most.

Alabama Planting Calendar

Crop	Method	Spring window	Fall window
Tomatoes (Frost-sensitive)	Start Indoors	Start indoors: Jan 24 - Feb 7 Transplant outdoors: Mar 28 - Apr 4 Transplant once nighttime lows are reliably above 50°F, not just after the calendar frost date.	None
Peppers (Frost-sensitive)	Start Indoors	Start indoors: Jan 10 - Jan 24 Transplant outdoors: Apr 4 and later Peppers want warmer soil than tomatoes -- when in doubt, wait the extra week.	None
Cucumbers (Frost-sensitive)	Direct SowTransplant	Mar 28 - Apr 4 The real trigger is soil temperature (70°F+ at 1 inch deep), not the calendar -- this window is a practical estimate of when that soil temperature typically arrives after the last frost.	None
Beans (Frost-sensitive)	Direct Sow	Mar 21 - Mar 28 Bean seed rots in cold, wet soil -- wait until the soil has warmed to at least 60°F.	None
Lettuce (Frost-tolerant)	Direct Sow	Feb 21 - Mar 7 Cold-tolerant -- a good candidate for succession sowing every 2-3 weeks through spring.	Sow by Sep 7 - Sep 17
Carrots (Frost-tolerant)	Direct Sow	Feb 14 - Mar 7	None
Squash / zucchini (Frost-sensitive)	Direct SowTransplant	Mar 21 - Mar 28 Squash doesn’t tolerate cold -- wait for soil to reach about 70°F.	None
Broccoli (Frost-tolerant)	Start Indoors	Jan 24 - Feb 7	Sow by Aug 8 - Aug 18
Spinach (Frost-tolerant)	Direct Sow	Feb 7 - Feb 21 Sow as soon as the soil can be worked -- extension sources cite anywhere from 2-8 weeks before last frost depending on region; this is a middle estimate.	Sow by Aug 28 - Sep 7
Peas (Frost-tolerant)	Direct Sow	Feb 7 - Feb 21 Cold-tolerant -- sow as soon as the soil can be worked.	None
Onions (sets or transplants) (Frost-tolerant)	Transplant	Feb 21 - Mar 7 This window is for long-day onion varieties, the standard choice across most of the US. Gardeners in the Deep South growing short-day varieties follow a different fall/winter planting schedule.	None
Radishes (Frost-tolerant)	Direct Sow	Feb 7 - Feb 21 Fast-maturing -- a reliable succession crop every 1-2 weeks through spring.	None
Corn (Frost-sensitive)	Direct Sow	Mar 21 - Mar 28 Needs soil temperature of at least 50°F to germinate, with 65-75°F optimal for even germination.	None
Pumpkins (Frost-sensitive)	Direct Sow	Mar 21 - Mar 28 Soil should reach about 65-70°F. If timing for a fall harvest target, count backward from your target date using the variety’s days-to-maturity instead of using this spring window.	None
Beets (Frost-tolerant)	Direct Sow	Feb 21 - Mar 7	None
Cabbage (Frost-tolerant)	Start Indoors	Jan 24 - Feb 7	None
Cauliflower (Frost-tolerant)	Start Indoors	Jan 24 - Feb 7 Extension sources vary more on this crop than most (some cite as few as 4 weeks, others up to 10) -- this range is a defensible middle estimate, usually grown on the same schedule as cabbage.	None
Kale (Frost-tolerant)	Direct Sow	Feb 7 - Feb 21	Sow by Sep 7 - Sep 17
Basil (Frost-sensitive)	Start Indoors	Start indoors: Jan 24 - Feb 7 Transplant outdoors: Apr 4 and later Frost-sensitive, unlike the cold-tolerant crops above -- transplant only after ALL frost risk has passed and soil has warmed to 60°F or more.	None
Potatoes (Irish/white) (Frost-tolerant)	Transplant	February Alabama’s growing season genuinely supports two potato crops a year, spring and fall. Regional adjustment from Alabama Extension: South Alabama, plant spring ~10 days earlier and fall ~10 days later; North Alabama, plant spring ~10 days later and fall ~10 days earlier. Source: Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES)	Aug 1 - Aug 15
Sweet potatoes (Frost-sensitive)	Transplant	Apr 15 - Jun 15 Different from white/Irish potatoes above: grown from slips, not seed pieces, and Alabama Extension lists no fall crop for sweet potatoes. Source: Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES)	None

Iron clay peas (Vigna unguiculata cv. Iron Clay) isn't in the table above since it's a cover crop, not a table vegetable, but it's a real, specifically Southern crop Alabama gardeners search for: A warm-season cowpea widely grown across Alabama as a summer cover crop rather than a table vegetable: it fixes nitrogen, tolerates heat and drought, and out-competes weeds in poor soil. Plant once soil reaches 65°F, about 9 weeks before your average first frost, around Sep 8 in Alabama. Source: Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES).

Want this whole calendar as a printable, personalized document, with every crop and window above plus the cover crop note?

Summer vegetable beds full of tomatoes, okra, peppers and squash in a backyard garden in the humid Deep South, with tall loblolly pines and red clay soil — The same kind of garden in summer: tomatoes, okra, peppers and squash. AI-generated image.

Free book · 23 pages, PDF

The Spacing & Planting Cheat Sheet

When to start, when to plant, how far apart.

Understanding Your Planting Windows

These windows come from a simple, real calculation: take Alabama's median last-frost and first-frost dates, then apply fixed, extension-verified offset rules for each crop (for example, "start tomato seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost"). Because the offset rules are the same nationwide but Alabama's actual frost dates are specific to Alabama, the resulting dates are genuinely Alabama's own, not a generic template. Think of this as a living Alabama planting guide: every date above is recalculated from Alabama's own frost averages, and its crop coverage grows as more crops get verified against Alabama Extension sources.

These are statewide medians, though, and your own yard may run warmer or colder depending on elevation, urban heat, or microclimate. Enter your ZIP code in the box at the top of the page for your nearest station's dates. For Alabama's full zone range from coldest to warmest areas, see the Alabama Growing Zone page. Alabama gardening also depends on soil temperature and rainfall timing, not just frost dates. The notes in the table above flag crops, like beans and squash, where that matters more than the calendar.

Want exact seed-starting dates for your specific ZIP code, not just the state average? Use the Seed Starting Calculator.

Frequently asked

Alabama Planting FAQ

When to plant potatoes in Alabama?

Plant seed potato pieces in February for a spring crop, and again Aug 1-15 for a genuine second, fall crop; Alabama’s mild climate supports both. South Alabama gardeners can plant about 10 days earlier in spring (and later in fall); North Alabama about 10 days later in spring (and earlier in fall).

When do you plant sweet potatoes in Alabama?

Plant sweet potato slips (not seed pieces) from Apr 15 through Jun 15, once the soil is consistently warm. Unlike white/Irish potatoes, Alabama Extension lists no fall sweet potato crop.

When to plant cabbage in Alabama?

Start cabbage seeds indoors Jan 24 - Feb 7, 6 to 8 weeks before Alabama's average last frost, then transplant outdoors once seedlings are established.

When to plant carrots in Alabama?

Direct sow carrots in Alabama Feb 14 - Mar 7, 2 to 5 weeks before the state's average last frost, once the soil can be worked.

When to plant lettuce in Alabama?

Direct sow lettuce in Alabama Feb 21 - Mar 7, 2 to 4 weeks before the average last frost. Lettuce is cold-tolerant, so it's a good candidate for succession sowing every 2-3 weeks through spring.

Sources & further reading

Frost dates come from NOAA NCEI's U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020: for each of Alabama's ZIP codes, the median last and first 32°F dates at the nearest weather station (an airport station within 15 miles where there is one), with ZIP code points from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 ZCTA Gazetteer. The same station data drives our Frost Date Calculator. Planting-offset rules are drawn from US Cooperative Extension sources including UGA, UMN, NC State, Utah State, Iowa State, Penn State, and UConn Extension, cited crop-by-crop in the table above. For more on how we build and verify reference data across this site, see our methodology page.

Planting calendars for nearby states

Frost dates shift gradually across state lines, not sharply:

Or browse all 51 state planting calendars.