Hattiesburg, MS Frost Dates
Average frost dates, USDA hardiness zone, and growing season length for Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Gardening in Hattiesburg
The Hub City of south Mississippi sits where the Leaf and Bouie Rivers converge. USM's Piney Woods campus and the surrounding longleaf pine country create a distinct growing environment.
Zone 8b with 262 frost-free days. The Piney Woods' sandy soil is acidic and well-drained — excellent for blueberries and azaleas, needing lime for most vegetables.
The Hattiesburg area's growing food scene draws on Mississippi's deep agricultural heritage. The Hub City Farmers Market connects the community to local growers.
What This Means for Hattiesburg Gardeners
The average last spring frost in Hattiesburg is around March 1, and the average first fall frost arrives around November 18. That gives you approximately 262 frost-free days to work with.
262 days is a long, productive season that supports two full rounds of warm-season crops plus continuous cool-season production through your mild winter. Most frost-sensitive crops can be transplanted by March 1, giving them months to produce before fall. Your winter garden is the real advantage — growing fresh vegetables in December and January while northern gardeners browse seed catalogs.
These dates are based on NOAA 30-year Climate Normal data for the Hattiesburg 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 Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg's 262-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 Mississippi planting guide for all 40 plants: Mississippi Planting Calendar. Or enter your zip code for exact planting dates personalized to Hattiesburg.
More About Zone 8B
Hattiesburg 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 Mississippi: Mississippi Planting Calendar.
Other Cities in Mississippi
Frequently Asked Questions
These dates are based on NOAA's 30-year Climate Normal data for the Hattiesburg 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 Hattiesburg (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 1). 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.