Frost Report

All states North Carolina

Frost dates for Pinehurst, 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 1

typical year

Safe to plant

April 19

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 5

typical year

Growing season

219 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 4 – 18 –
Spinach – Feb 18 – Mar 11 Sep 10 – 24
Lettuce – Mar 4 – 25 Sep 10 – 24
Radishes – Mar 4 – Apr 15 Sep 24 – Oct 8
Onions – Mar 4 – 18 –
Potatoes – Mar 11 – 25 –
Carrots – Mar 11 – Apr 1 Aug 13 – 27
Beets – Mar 4 – 18 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Kale Jan 21 – Feb 4 Mar 4 – 18 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Broccoli Jan 21 – Feb 4 Mar 18 – Apr 1 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Cabbage Jan 7 – 21 Mar 4 – 18 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Garlic – – Sep 24 – Oct 15
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 22 – Mar 8 Apr 19 – May 3 –
Peppers Feb 15 – Mar 1 Apr 26 – May 10 –
Cucumbers – Apr 19 – May 10 –
Zucchini – Apr 19 – May 17 –
Pumpkins – Apr 19 – May 10 –
Green beans – Apr 19 – Aug 27 –
Sweet corn – Apr 19 – May 17 –
Basil Mar 15 – 29 Apr 26 – May 3 –

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 19April 1March 13
Fall frost before October 24November 5November 19

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 17 (April 5 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 15.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 9 towns.

Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Whispering Pines, Carthage, Robbins, Vass, Taylortown, Cameron

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station CARTHAGE WTP, NC US (USC00311515), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 10 zip codes, all within 15 miles:

27259, 27325, 27376, 28326, 28327, 28350, 28355, 28374, 28387, 28394

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