When to plant in Elizabethtown, NC
Planting dates worked out from Elizabethtown's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 17
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 6
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 1
1 year in 10 by Oct 20
Frost-free days
204
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Turnbull Creek North Carolina · 6.4 km away · station 30 m, town 33 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 11 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 6 – Feb 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 16 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 2 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 18 |
| Peas | — | Feb 23 – Mar 23 | Apr 19 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | May 30 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 16 – Apr 27 | May 15 |
| Beet | — | Mar 9 – Apr 20 | Apr 28 |
| Potato | — | Mar 16 – Apr 6 | May 25 |
| Kale | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 21 |
| Broccoli | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 30 | May 8 |
| Cucumber | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 6 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 1 |
| Winter squash | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jul 6 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 9 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 9 – Mar 30 | Jun 7 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 18 – Nov 15 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 23 – Mar 23 | Apr 2 |
| Basil | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 13 |
Elizabethtown's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 25 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 9 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Mar 24 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Apr 11 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Apr 11 |
| 2024 | Mar 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 226 |
| 2004 | 216 |
| 2005 | 187 |
| 2006 | 195 |
| 2007 | 202 |
| 2008 | 185 |
| 2009 | 194 |
| 2010 | 227 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 201 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 196 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 237 |
| 2019 | 214 |
| 2020 | 205 |
| 2021 | 204 |
| 2022 | 181 |
| 2023 | 195 |
| 2024 | 241 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 23.3 °C |
| 2004 | 23.9 °C |
| 2005 | 23.7 °C |
| 2006 | 23.4 °C |
| 2007 | 23.4 °C |
| 2008 | 23.1 °C |
| 2009 | 23.8 °C |
| 2010 | 25.1 °C |
| 2011 | 24.3 °C |
| 2012 | 23.8 °C |
| 2014 | 23.8 °C |
| 2015 | 24.4 °C |
| 2017 | 24.2 °C |
| 2018 | 24.4 °C |
| 2019 | 24.9 °C |
| 2020 | 23.4 °C |
| 2021 | 23.4 °C |
| 2022 | 24.0 °C |
| 2023 | 23.4 °C |
| 2024 | 24.2 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Turnbull Creek North Carolina (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.