Savannah, GA Frost Dates
Average frost dates, USDA hardiness zone, and growing season length for Savannah, Georgia.
Gardening in Savannah
Savannah's moss-draped squares are famous, but the city's garden tradition runs deeper than the tourists see. Behind the historic homes, kitchen gardens produce food in the same coastal Georgia conditions that made the region an agricultural powerhouse before the Civil War.
The coastal influence keeps Savannah milder than inland Georgia in both summer and winter. Your 264-day growing season is generous, and the proximity to the coast provides moderating breezes that inland cities like Macon don't enjoy. The sandy Lowcountry soil is similar to Charleston's — fast-draining, nutrient-poor, and in need of constant organic amendment. The salt air is a factor for coastal gardens.
SCAD students bring artistic sensibility to Savannah's garden culture, but the real expertise lives in the communities that have been growing food here for generations. Forsyth Park's Saturday morning farmers market is a Savannah institution. The city's historic cemeteries — Bonaventure especially — prove that Savannah's horticultural heritage is literally monumental.
What This Means for Savannah Gardeners
The average last spring frost in Savannah is around March 1, and the average first fall frost arrives around November 20. That gives you approximately 264 frost-free days to work with.
264 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 Savannah 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 Savannah
Savannah's 264-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 Savannah.
More About Zone 8B
Savannah 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 Savannah 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 Savannah (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.