PLANNING YOUR PROJECT—growing zone 8a
Atlanta has a year-round growing season!
Before you plant a single seed, let’s assess what you’re working with. Successful growing starts with understanding your space, resources, and goals. Use these pages to map your starting point. First let’s understand where we are and how that impacts what and how we grow, even which pests we’re fighting during the season.
What Is a USDA Hardiness Zone?
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map divides the country into zones based on average annual minimum winter temperatures. Zone 8A, which covers most of Atlanta and the surrounding metropolitan region, has an average minimum winter temperature between 10°F and 15°F (–12°C to –9°C). This means our winters are mild compared to much of the country — butwe can still experience hard freezes that will damage tender plants.
Zone 8A is a gift and a challenge. Our long, warm growing season — often extending from late February through November — means we can grow an extraordinary range of crops, including cool-season and warm-season vegetables, many perennial herbs, subtropical fruits, and an abundance of flowering plants. The challenge is our summer heat and humidity, which can stress plants, invite fungal disease, and demand attentive water management. Given the current reality of climate change extreme shifts between excessive rain and longstanding droughts become a more consistent challenge.
ATLANTA’S Zone 8A At a Glance
Average minimum winter temp: 10°F to 15°F
Average last frost date: mid-February to mid-March (Atlanta average: March 13)
Average first fall frost date: late November (Atlanta average: November 17–22)
Growing season: approximately 270–290 days
Average annual rainfall: 50–53 inches, fairly evenly distributed
Summer heat: regularly 90°F+ from June through September
Humidity: high spring through fall — increases disease pressure
