Frost Report

All states North Carolina

Frost dates for Holly Springs, NC

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

April 6

typical year

Safe to plant

April 21

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 3

typical year

Growing season

209 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Mar 9 – 23 –
Spinach – Feb 23 – Mar 16 Sep 8 – 22
Lettuce – Mar 9 – 30 Sep 8 – 22
Radishes – Mar 9 – Apr 20 Sep 22 – Oct 6
Onions – Mar 9 – 23 –
Potatoes – Mar 16 – 30 –
Carrots – Mar 16 – Apr 6 Aug 11 – 25
Beets – Mar 9 – 23 Aug 25 – Sep 8
Kale Jan 26 – Feb 9 Mar 9 – 23 Aug 25 – Sep 8
Broccoli Jan 26 – Feb 9 Mar 23 – Apr 6 Aug 25 – Sep 8
Cabbage Jan 12 – 26 Mar 9 – 23 Aug 25 – Sep 8
Garlic – – Sep 22 – Oct 13
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 24 – Mar 10 Apr 21 – May 5 –
Peppers Feb 17 – Mar 3 Apr 28 – May 12 –
Cucumbers – Apr 21 – May 12 –
Zucchini – Apr 21 – May 19 –
Pumpkins – Apr 21 – May 12 –
Green beans – Apr 21 – Aug 25 –
Sweet corn – Apr 21 – May 19 –
Basil Mar 17 – 31 Apr 28 – May 5 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after April 21April 6March 21
Fall frost before October 23November 3November 15

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around March 28 (April 13 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 13.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 1 town.

Holly Springs

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station NEW HILL, NC US (USC00316122), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 3 zip codes, all within 5 miles:

27502, 27540, 27562

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.