Tallahassee, FL planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9a20 to 25 °F
- Last frost
- Mar 11avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 21avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 255days
Tallahassee, Florida is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a. Its average last spring frost is around March 11 and the first fall frost around November 21, giving a growing season of about 255 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Tallahassee planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Tallahassee's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Jan 14 – Jan 28 | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | May 17 – Jun 6 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 – Jan 14 | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | May 24 – Jun 23 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 11 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | May 7 – May 27 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | May 2 – May 17 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | May 7 – May 17 | Sep 22 – Oct 2 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | May 10 – Jun 9 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 17 – May 2 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Mar 28 – Apr 12 | Sep 8 – Sep 23 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 24 – Apr 8 | Aug 29 – Sep 13 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 9 – Mar 19 | Sep 18 – Sep 28 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Feb 18 – Feb 25 | Apr 19 – May 9 | Aug 19 – Sep 8 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 14 – Jan 28 | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 7 – Apr 27 | Aug 24 – Sep 13 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USW00093805. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 25 | Apr 15 | Nov 9 | Dec 1 | 228 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 11 | Mar 30 | Nov 21 | Dec 14 | 255 |
| 28°F | Feb 25 | Mar 17 | Dec 6 | Jan 9 | 290 |
| 24°F | Feb 3 | Mar 3 | Dec 30 | Feb 2 | 324 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 6,971 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 10,432 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9a
Tallahassee sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 20 to 25 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 9a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Tallahassee?
- Tallahassee, Florida is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 20 to 25 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Tallahassee?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around March 11, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as March 30, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Tallahassee?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 21. That leaves a growing season of about 255 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Tallahassee?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 14 – Jan 28 and transplant them outside about Mar 18 – Mar 25, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around May 17 – Jun 6.
- How long is the growing season in Tallahassee?
- About 255 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~March 11) and the average first fall frost (~November 21). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USW00093805 (Tallahassee, 4.8 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.