What Hardiness Zone Is Tennessee?
Tennessee spans USDA hardiness zones 6b–8a on the 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map. The most common zone is 7b, covering 70% of Tennessee's ZIP codes, followed by zone 8a (16%). Zone 7b means the coldest night of an average winter reaches 5°F to 10°F (−15°C to −12°C). Enter your ZIP code for your exact zone.
Tennessee hardiness zones by share of ZIP codes
What the zones mean for Tennessee gardeners
- Coldest and warmest towns: among towns with NOAA weather stations, Roan Mountain 3SW (2,923 ft) is in zone 6b, while Memphis Intl Airport (254 ft) is in zone 8a. That is a difference of about 15°F in the coldest night of a typical winter.
- Same zone, different frost dates: within zone 7b, the median last spring frost ranges from March 26 at Whitwell-sequatchie Valley to April 24 at Jefferson City, 29 days apart. Your zone tells you which perennials survive winter; your frost dates tell you when to plant.
Typical frost dates in each Tennessee zone
Medians across NOAA weather stations in each zone. Colder zones usually have later spring frosts, but local terrain can shift the dates by weeks.
| Zone | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7a | April 20 | October 23 | 26 |
| 7b | April 7 | October 29 | 104 |
| 8a | March 28 | November 6 | 10 |
Hardiness zones for Tennessee cities
Zones at the National Weather Service stations, mostly city airports, with their median frost dates.
| Bristol Tri City Airport | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,500 | Apr 16 | Oct 24 |
| Chattanooga Lovell Airport | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 671 | Mar 24 | Nov 9 |
| Clarksville Outlaw Airport | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 560 | Apr 6 | Oct 28 |
| Crossville 7 NW | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,913 | Apr 20 | Oct 20 |
| Crossville Memorial Airport | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,867 | Apr 16 | Oct 23 |
| Dyersburg Iii Golf | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 300 | Mar 28 | Nov 2 |
| Jackson McKellar Airport | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 433 | Apr 5 | Oct 29 |
| Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 962 | Apr 1 | Nov 2 |
| Memphis Intl Airport | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 254 | Mar 16 | Nov 16 |
| Nashville Intl Airport | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 600 | Mar 31 | Nov 3 |
| Oak Ridge Asos | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 910 | Mar 31 | Nov 4 |
| Oak Ridge Atdd | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 905 | Apr 5 | Nov 1 |
Hardiness zones for 141 towns in Tennessee
Each NOAA weather station is shown with the USDA zone of the nearest ZIP code (within 8 miles). Coldest night is the zone's range for the average annual extreme minimum temperature. Click a column to sort.
| Alamo 1 N | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 330 | Mar 28 | Nov 4 |
| Allardt | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,645 | Apr 17 | Oct 23 |
| Ames Plantation | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 460 | Apr 1 | Nov 3 |
| Ardmore | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 885 | Mar 30 | Nov 4 |
| Athens | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 940 | Apr 6 | Oct 31 |
| Bethpage 1 S | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 560 | Apr 16 | Oct 23 |
| Big Sandy | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 365 | Apr 8 | Oct 29 |
| Bolivar Wtr Wks | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 455 | Apr 3 | Oct 30 |
| Brentwood | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 707 | Apr 15 | Oct 26 |
| Bristol Tri City Airport | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,500 | Apr 16 | Oct 24 |
| Brownsville | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 330 | Mar 29 | Nov 5 |
| Byrdstown | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 880 | Apr 12 | Oct 25 |
| Camden | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 423 | Apr 3 | Nov 1 |
| Carthage | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 515 | Apr 10 | Oct 29 |
| Centerville 4NE | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 740 | Apr 11 | Oct 27 |
| Centerville Water Pl | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 660 | Apr 11 | Oct 24 |
| Charlotte | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 694 | Apr 11 | Oct 26 |
| Chattanooga Lovell Airport | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 671 | Mar 24 | Nov 9 |
| Cheatham L&d | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 392 | Apr 9 | Nov 1 |
| Christiana 5W | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 750 | Apr 14 | Oct 25 |
| Clarksville No.2 | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 496 | Apr 10 | Oct 30 |
| Clarksville Outlaw Airport | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 560 | Apr 6 | Oct 28 |
| Cleveland Fltr Plt | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 842 | Apr 6 | Oct 30 |
| Coalmont | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,856 | Apr 21 | Oct 20 |
| Collierville | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 300 | Mar 29 | Nov 3 |
| Columbia 3 WNW | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 650 | Apr 10 | Oct 27 |
| Cookeville | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,090 | Apr 14 | Oct 25 |
| Covington 3 SW | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 385 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 |
| Crossville 7 NW | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,913 | Apr 20 | Oct 20 |
| Crossville Ed & Research | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,810 | Apr 19 | Oct 22 |
| Crossville Memorial Airport | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,867 | Apr 16 | Oct 23 |
| Dayton 2SE | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 822 | Apr 4 | Oct 31 |
| Decatur 7NE | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 750 | Apr 10 | Oct 27 |
| Decaturville | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 495 | Apr 4 | Oct 30 |
| Dickson | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 780 | Apr 13 | Oct 25 |
| Dover 1 W | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 475 | Apr 4 | Oct 31 |
| Dresden | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 450 | Apr 3 | Nov 1 |
| Dyersburg Iii Golf | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 300 | Mar 28 | Nov 2 |
| Elizabethton | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,487 | Apr 19 | Oct 24 |
| Erwin 1 W | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,720 | Apr 21 | Oct 23 |
| Fairview Bowie Nat Center | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 860 | Apr 7 | Oct 31 |
| Fall Creek Falls State Park | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,790 | Apr 21 | Oct 19 |
| Fayetteville Wtp | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 742 | Apr 7 | Oct 28 |
| Franklin Sewage Plt | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 655 | Apr 3 | Oct 31 |
| Gainesboro | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 487 | Apr 20 | Oct 22 |
| Gatlinburg 2 SW | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,454 | Apr 17 | Oct 25 |
| Germantown 4SE | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 320 | Mar 22 | Nov 7 |
| Gladeville | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 600 | Apr 16 | Oct 21 |
| Goodlettsville 7WNW | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 820 | Apr 7 | Oct 28 |
| Greeneville Experiment Station | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,320 | Apr 20 | Oct 22 |
| Hartsville | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 511 | Apr 12 | Oct 26 |
| Henderson 4 W | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 460 | Apr 10 | Oct 25 |
| Hohenwald | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 980 | Apr 5 | Nov 1 |
| Huntingdon Wtp | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 440 | Apr 2 | Oct 31 |
| Jackson 4 NE | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 430 | Apr 4 | Oct 30 |
| Jackson Experiment Station | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 400 | Apr 2 | Oct 29 |
| Jackson McKellar Airport | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 433 | Apr 5 | Oct 29 |
| Jamestown | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,690 | Apr 20 | Oct 22 |
| Jefferson City | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,108 | Apr 24 | Oct 17 |
| Kingsport | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,284 | Apr 9 | Oct 29 |
| Kingston | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 814 | Apr 3 | Nov 4 |
| Kingston Springs | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 517 | Apr 13 | Oct 25 |
| Knoxville Experiment Station | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 830 | Apr 11 | Oct 28 |
| Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 962 | Apr 1 | Nov 2 |
| Lafayette | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 975 | Apr 3 | Nov 1 |
| Lancaster Edgar Evins Marina | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 630 | Apr 3 | Nov 4 |
| Lancing 6 NW | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,520 | Apr 21 | Oct 17 |
| Lawrenceburg Filt Plt | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 870 | Apr 8 | Oct 31 |
| Lebanon 7 N | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 510 | Apr 10 | Oct 30 |
| Lenoir City | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 785 | Apr 5 | Nov 1 |
| Lewisburg Experiment Station | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 787 | Apr 14 | Oct 22 |
| Lexington | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 540 | Apr 5 | Oct 30 |
| Linden Wtp | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 505 | Apr 12 | Oct 25 |
| Livingston Radio Wliv | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 975 | Apr 12 | Oct 25 |
| Lobelville | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 445 | Apr 13 | Oct 24 |
| Lookout Mtn-point Park | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 2,110 | Mar 31 | Nov 6 |
| Lynchburg | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 810 | Apr 15 | Oct 25 |
| Manchester #2 | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,070 | Apr 13 | Oct 24 |
| Martin U Of T Branch E | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 340 | Apr 4 | Oct 28 |
| Mc Minnville | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 940 | Apr 7 | Oct 30 |
| Memphis Intl Airport | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 254 | Mar 16 | Nov 16 |
| Memphis WFO | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 310 | Mar 29 | Nov 5 |
| Milan Experiment Station | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 415 | Apr 4 | Oct 28 |
| Monteagle | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,850 | Apr 10 | Oct 28 |
| Monterey | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,860 | Apr 10 | Oct 30 |
| Montgomery Bell State Park | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 600 | Apr 16 | Oct 26 |
| Morristown Radio Wcrk | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,344 | Apr 10 | Oct 28 |
| Morristown WFO | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,320 | Mar 31 | Nov 4 |
| Moscow | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 335 | Mar 29 | Nov 3 |
| Mount Leconte | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 6,493 | May 22 | Oct 1 |
| Mount Pleasant 1N | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 778 | Apr 5 | Oct 28 |
| Mountain City 2 | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 2,419 | Apr 27 | Oct 14 |
| Murfreesboro 5 N | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 535 | Apr 9 | Oct 27 |
| Nashville Berry Field | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 560 | Apr 4 | Oct 31 |
| Nashville Intl Airport | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 600 | Mar 31 | Nov 3 |
| Newcomb | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,014 | Apr 18 | Oct 24 |
| Newport 1 NW | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,036 | Apr 7 | Oct 29 |
| Norris | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,110 | Apr 22 | Oct 25 |
| Oak Ridge Asos | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 910 | Mar 31 | Nov 4 |
| Oak Ridge Atdd | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 905 | Apr 5 | Nov 1 |
| Old Hickory Dam | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 460 | Apr 11 | Oct 29 |
| Old Hickory WFO | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 590 | Apr 1 | Nov 4 |
| Oneida | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,440 | Apr 23 | Oct 18 |
| Paris 2 SE | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 443 | Apr 7 | Oct 31 |
| Parsons Wtp | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 410 | Apr 5 | Oct 29 |
| Pikeville | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 864 | Apr 11 | Oct 25 |
| Portland Sewage Plt | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 794 | Apr 5 | Nov 1 |
| Pulaski Wwtp | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 644 | Apr 14 | Oct 24 |
| Ripley | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | 400 | Mar 26 | Nov 6 |
| Roan Mountain 3SW | 6b | −5°F to 0°F | 2,923 | Apr 30 | Oct 12 |
| Rock Island State Park | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 880 | Apr 6 | Oct 30 |
| Rockwood 2 | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 767 | Apr 8 | Oct 31 |
| Rogersville 1 NE | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,355 | Apr 14 | Oct 24 |
| Samburg Wr | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 310 | Apr 3 | Nov 1 |
| Savannah 6 SW | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 420 | Mar 31 | Nov 1 |
| Selmer | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 470 | Apr 6 | Oct 30 |
| Sevierville | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 899 | Apr 6 | Oct 29 |
| Sewanee | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,928 | Apr 2 | Nov 4 |
| Shelby Bottoms Nature | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 405 | Apr 1 | Oct 31 |
| Shelbyville Water Dept | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 760 | Apr 7 | Oct 29 |
| Smithville 2 SE | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 890 | Apr 18 | Oct 22 |
| Smyrna 6S | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 550 | Apr 13 | Oct 21 |
| Soddy Daisy-mowbray Mountain | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,700 | Apr 7 | Oct 29 |
| Sparta Wastewater Plant | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 905 | Apr 15 | Oct 23 |
| Spring City | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 755 | Apr 11 | Oct 29 |
| Springfield Experiment Station | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 745 | Apr 9 | Oct 28 |
| Tazewell | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,365 | Apr 23 | Oct 19 |
| Tellico Plains | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 910 | Apr 13 | Oct 24 |
| Tennessee Ridge | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 722 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 |
| Thompson Station | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 775 | Apr 3 | Nov 1 |
| Townsend 5S | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 1,893 | Apr 20 | Oct 22 |
| Tullahoma | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,022 | Apr 6 | Oct 30 |
| Union City | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 350 | Apr 3 | Oct 29 |
| Warner Park | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 625 | Apr 6 | Nov 1 |
| Wartrace 6E | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,014 | Apr 1 | Nov 2 |
| Waverly Airport | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 749 | Apr 2 | Nov 4 |
| Waynesboro | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 750 | Apr 14 | Oct 24 |
| White House | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | 820 | Apr 7 | Oct 30 |
| Whitwell-sequatchie Valley | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 1,020 | Mar 26 | Nov 8 |
| Winchester 5SE | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 941 | Apr 6 | Oct 29 |
| Woodbury 1 WNW | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | 750 | Apr 17 | Oct 21 |
Frequently asked questions
What hardiness zone is Tennessee?
Tennessee is in USDA hardiness zones 6b–8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Zone 7b is the most common, covering 70% of Tennessee's ZIP codes, and zone 8a covers 16%. Enter your ZIP code for your exact zone.
What does zone 7b mean?
Zone 7b means the average annual extreme minimum temperature, the coldest night of a typical winter, is 5°F to 10°F (−15°C to −12°C). Perennials, shrubs and trees rated for zone 7b or colder should survive winter there.
What is the coldest hardiness zone in Tennessee?
Zone 6b is the coldest zone mapped in Tennessee, found around Roan Mountain 3SW, and zone 8a is the warmest, found around Memphis Intl Airport.
Did Tennessee's hardiness zones change in 2023?
The USDA released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map in November 2023, based on 1991–2020 temperatures instead of 1976–2005. About half of the United States shifted half a zone warmer. Check your ZIP code here, because plant tags and older books may still list your 2012 zone.
When should I plant in zone 7b?
Hardiness zones don't set planting dates; frost dates do. Inside zone 7b in Tennessee, the median last spring frost varies from March 26 to April 24. Look up your local frost dates and plant tender crops such as tomatoes after the 10%-risk last-frost date.
Zone and frost dates: use both
Your hardiness zone answers one question: will this plant survive the winter here? Choose perennials, shrubs, trees and bulbs rated for your zone or a colder one. For vegetables and annuals, what matters is the length of the frost-free season. See Tennessee frost dates by town, or get a planting calendar for your ZIP code with start-indoors, transplant and sowing dates for 30 crops.
Sources and method
Zones are from the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map ZIP-code files published by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, based on 1991–2020 minimum temperatures. ZIP codes are assigned to states by USPS prefix. Town zones use the ZIP code nearest each NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals station. This is an independent tool, not an official USDA site. Full methodology.
Hardiness zones in other states
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- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
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- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
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