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What Month Is the Last Frost in the State of North Carolina?

North Carolina’s distinctive geographic regions and 560-mile length give the state a wide range of last spring frost dates. Lucky gardeners on the Outer Banks can typically start sowing seeds near the beginning of March, while growers in other parts of the state often need to wait until May 15 before leaving their frost worries behind. Microclimates enter into the picture, too -- gardeners in the mountainous areas often have frost pockets that collect cold, delivering a late freeze

  1. March Frost Dates

    • The Outer Banks island of Hatteras is the only area with a really early last spring frost date -- March 3. Other locations such as Edenton, Goldsboro, New Bern, Morehead City and Southport typically have frosts much later in the month. Some vegetables are so tender that one light freeze can kill or injure them. Peppers (Capsicum spp.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa) both die back when temperatures hover near freezing. Only slightly hardier, asparagus (Asparagus officinalis), green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), cucumbers (Cucumis sativus), eggplant (Solanum melongena) and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) tolerate a low temperature of 31 degrees. The tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) withstands 30 degrees, and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) typically lives through temperatures as low as 29.

    April Frost Dates

    • Much of the state’s coastal plain area experiences its last frost in April. Count yourself in this group if you live in or around Charlotte, Concord, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro or Raleigh. Semihardy vegetables can recover from one or two freezes if they are light. Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea), celery (Apium graveolens) and onions (Allium cepa) all withstand one or two frosts of 31 degrees. With one or two frosts below 30 degrees, radishes (Raphanus sativus) turn black, broccoli (Brassica oleracea) develops discolored heads and a high susceptibility to bacterial decay, and carrots (Daucus carota) become cracked and blistered. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) decays rapidly with frosts below 31.5 degrees.

    May Frost Dates

    • Throughout May, gardeners living in the western mountainous region -- including Boone, Black Mountain and Cherokee -- typically get their last spring frost. Most cool-season vegetables can handle several light frosts without damage or injury. Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea gemmifera) and kale (Brassica oleracea, Acephala group) easily survive temperatures down to 28 degrees. Cabbage (Brassica. oleracea, Capitata group) does well down to 30 degrees. Two underground tubers, the turnip (Brassica rapa) and beet (Beta vulgaris), tolerate mild frosts.

    Frost Protection

    • To protect your plants, water them deeply one or two days before a predicted frost -- moist soil absorbs more of the sun’s heat. The night of the frost, trap that heat in the soil by covering your plants with a bedroom sheet, a floating row cover or loose straw. Drive stakes into the ground to prevent your coverings from coming into contact with the foliage -- direct contact can cause freeze damage. Another option is to cover low-growing plants with a thick layer of mulch and taller plants with an upturned garbage can. Plants growing next to a warm wall will benefit from the radiant heat provided. Remove all coverings once the temperatures rise again during the day.

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Vegetable Garden
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