Frost Report

All states North Carolina

Frost dates for Tryon, 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 27

typical year

Safe to plant

April 14

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 12

typical year

Growing season

231 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 27 – Mar 13 –
Spinach – Feb 13 – Mar 6 Sep 17 – Oct 1
Lettuce – Feb 27 – Mar 20 Sep 17 – Oct 1
Radishes – Feb 27 – Apr 10 Oct 1 – 15
Onions – Feb 27 – Mar 13 –
Potatoes – Mar 6 – 20 –
Carrots – Mar 6 – 27 Aug 20 – Sep 3
Beets – Feb 27 – Mar 13 Sep 3 – 17
Kale Jan 16 – 30 Feb 27 – Mar 13 Sep 3 – 17
Broccoli Jan 16 – 30 Mar 13 – 27 Sep 3 – 17
Cabbage Jan 2 – 16 Feb 27 – Mar 13 Sep 3 – 17
Garlic – – Oct 1 – 22
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 17 – Mar 3 Apr 14 – 28 –
Peppers Feb 10 – 24 Apr 21 – May 5 –
Cucumbers – Apr 14 – May 5 –
Zucchini – Apr 14 – May 12 –
Pumpkins – Apr 14 – May 5 –
Green beans – Apr 14 – Sep 3 –
Sweet corn – Apr 14 – May 12 –
Basil Mar 10 – 24 Apr 21 – 28 –

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 14March 27March 9
Fall frost before October 29November 12December 1

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 27.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 5 towns.

Landrum, SC, Tryon, Columbus, Campobello, SC, Saluda

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station TRYON, NC US (USC00318744), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 4 zip codes, all within 9 miles:

28773, 28782, 29322, 29356

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