Frost Report

All states North Carolina

Frost dates for Norlina, 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

March 28

typical year

Safe to plant

April 11

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 9

typical year

Growing season

227 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 – Feb 28 – Mar 14 –
Spinach – Feb 14 – Mar 7 Sep 14 – 28
Lettuce – Feb 28 – Mar 21 Sep 14 – 28
Radishes – Feb 28 – Apr 11 Sep 28 – Oct 12
Onions – Feb 28 – Mar 14 –
Potatoes – Mar 7 – 21 –
Carrots – Mar 7 – 28 Aug 17 – 31
Beets – Feb 28 – Mar 14 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Kale Jan 17 – 31 Feb 28 – Mar 14 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Broccoli Jan 17 – 31 Mar 14 – 28 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Cabbage Jan 3 – 17 Feb 28 – Mar 14 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Garlic – – Sep 28 – Oct 19
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 14 – 28 Apr 11 – 25 –
Peppers Feb 7 – 21 Apr 18 – May 2 –
Cucumbers – Apr 11 – May 2 –
Zucchini – Apr 11 – May 9 –
Pumpkins – Apr 11 – May 2 –
Green beans – Apr 11 – Aug 31 –
Sweet corn – Apr 11 – May 9 –
Basil Mar 7 – 21 Apr 18 – 25 –

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 11March 28March 10
Fall frost before October 26November 9November 26

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 14 (March 31 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 22.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 2 towns.

Norlina, Middleburg

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station HENDERSON 4 NNE, NC US (USC00313971), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 5 zip codes, all within 10 miles:

27537, 27556, 27563, 27570, 27584

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