Albany, GA Frost Dates
Average frost dates, USDA hardiness zone, and growing season length for Albany, Georgia.
Gardening in Albany
Southwest Georgia's agricultural heritage runs deep — the surrounding pecan orchards and peanut fields are the commercial expression of what home gardeners do on a smaller scale.
Zone 8b with 255 frost-free days. The Flint River provides fertile bottomland. The red clay of the Upper Coastal Plain is productive with amendment.
The Flint RiverQuarium celebrates the waterway that makes Albany's agriculture possible. Pecan trees in residential yards produce hundreds of pounds of nuts alongside vegetable gardens.
What This Means for Albany Gardeners
The average last spring frost in Albany is around March 5, and the average first fall frost arrives around November 15. That gives you approximately 255 frost-free days to work with.
That's a generous season. You have time for full-size tomatoes, long-season peppers, and even watermelons without the anxiety of racing the frost. Start warm-season seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost to hit the ground running. Fall planting is your second opportunity — garlic, kale, lettuce, and broccoli all go in 8-10 weeks before your first frost for harvest into late autumn.
These dates are based on NOAA 30-year Climate Normal data for the Albany area. Your actual frost dates could shift 2-3 weeks in either direction in any given year. Learn more about our data sources.
What to Grow in Albany
Albany's 255-day growing season is generous — long enough for two full growing windows (spring and fall) with warm-season crops between them. You can grow the full range of vegetables, herbs, and flowers with proper timing. Focus on heat-tolerant varieties for midsummer and cool-season crops for extended fall harvests. Recommended starting points: tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, squash, garlic, kale, and sunflowers.
See the full Georgia planting guide for all 40 plants: Georgia Planting Calendar. Or enter your zip code for exact planting dates personalized to Albany.
More About Zone 8B
Albany is in USDA Hardiness Zone 8B, which means average annual extreme minimum temperatures between 15°F to 20°F. View the full Zone 8B planting guide.
See the complete planting calendar for Georgia: Georgia Planting Calendar.
Other Cities in Georgia
Frequently Asked Questions
These dates are based on NOAA's 30-year Climate Normal data for the Albany area. They represent historical averages, not predictions. In any given year, the actual last frost could be 2-3 weeks earlier or later. Microclimates within Albany (urban heat islands, hilltops, low-lying valleys) can also shift your local frost dates by a week or more.
Cool-season crops go in 3-4 weeks before your last frost (March 5). Warm-season crops wait until 2 weeks after. You have time for a fall round too — plant cool-season crops again in late summer for harvest into autumn. Enter your zip code for exact dates.