When to plant in Elroy, NC
Planting dates worked out from Elroy's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 8
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 23
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 12
1 year in 10 by Oct 30
Frost-free days
232
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Kinston Ag Rsch · 30.9 km away · station 18 m, town 34 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 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 19 – Jan 26 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 4 |
| Peas | — | Feb 9 – Mar 9 | Apr 5 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 2 – Apr 13 | May 1 |
| Beet | — | Feb 23 – Apr 6 | Apr 14 |
| Potato | — | Mar 2 – Mar 23 | May 11 |
| Kale | Jan 12 – Jan 26 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 7 |
| Broccoli | Jan 12 – Jan 26 | Feb 23 – Mar 16 | Apr 24 |
| Cucumber | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 23 |
| Winter squash | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 31 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 23 – Mar 16 | May 24 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 29 – Nov 26 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 9 – Mar 9 | Mar 19 |
| Basil | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 4 |
Elroy'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 |
|---|---|
| 1966 | Mar 29 |
| 1967 | Mar 23 |
| 1968 | Mar 25 |
| 1969 | Mar 28 |
| 1970 | Mar 17 |
| 1971 | Mar 31 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1974 | Mar 26 |
| 1975 | Apr 13 |
| 1976 | Apr 13 |
| 1977 | Apr 10 |
| 1978 | Mar 11 |
| 1979 | Mar 17 |
| 1981 | Apr 22 |
| 1982 | Apr 8 |
| 1983 | Mar 26 |
| 1984 | Mar 22 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Mar 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 4 |
| 1988 | Apr 20 |
| 1990 | Mar 22 |
| 1991 | Mar 16 |
| 1992 | Apr 4 |
| 1993 | Mar 20 |
| 1994 | Mar 17 |
| 1995 | Mar 24 |
| 1997 | Apr 11 |
| 1998 | Mar 20 |
| 1999 | Mar 16 |
| 2001 | Mar 28 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Mar 8 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Mar 15 |
| 2006 | Mar 25 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Mar 10 |
| 2009 | Mar 22 |
| 2010 | Mar 7 |
| 2011 | Mar 29 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2013 | Mar 29 |
| 2014 | Mar 27 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Mar 24 |
| 2019 | Mar 18 |
| 2020 | Mar 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 3 |
| 2022 | Mar 30 |
| 2023 | Mar 22 |
| 2024 | Feb 23 |
| 2025 | Mar 7 |
| 2026 | Mar 30 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1966 | 215 |
| 1967 | 219 |
| 1968 | 193 |
| 1969 | 209 |
| 1970 | 244 |
| 1971 | 222 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1974 | 191 |
| 1975 | 201 |
| 1976 | 191 |
| 1977 | 190 |
| 1982 | 192 |
| 1983 | 224 |
| 1984 | 230 |
| 1985 | 236 |
| 1986 | 235 |
| 1987 | 201 |
| 1988 | 175 |
| 1990 | 236 |
| 1991 | 234 |
| 1992 | 198 |
| 1993 | 226 |
| 1994 | 258 |
| 1995 | 226 |
| 1997 | 202 |
| 1998 | 232 |
| 2001 | 214 |
| 2002 | 225 |
| 2003 | 266 |
| 2004 | 217 |
| 2005 | 247 |
| 2006 | 223 |
| 2007 | 220 |
| 2008 | 233 |
| 2009 | 259 |
| 2010 | 265 |
| 2011 | 233 |
| 2012 | 242 |
| 2013 | 210 |
| 2014 | 220 |
| 2016 | 216 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 243 |
| 2019 | 235 |
| 2020 | 254 |
| 2021 | 226 |
| 2022 | 232 |
| 2023 | 224 |
| 2024 | 279 |
| 2025 | 248 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1966 | 21.9 °C |
| 1967 | 21.4 °C |
| 1969 | 22.6 °C |
| 1970 | 22.8 °C |
| 1971 | 22.1 °C |
| 1972 | 21.7 °C |
| 1974 | 22.4 °C |
| 1975 | 22.2 °C |
| 1976 | 21.7 °C |
| 1977 | 23.3 °C |
| 1978 | 22.7 °C |
| 1982 | 22.5 °C |
| 1991 | 24.1 °C |
| 1992 | 23.0 °C |
| 1993 | 24.2 °C |
| 1994 | 23.2 °C |
| 1995 | 23.4 °C |
| 1997 | 21.9 °C |
| 1998 | 23.8 °C |
| 1999 | 23.1 °C |
| 2001 | 22.8 °C |
| 2002 | 24.1 °C |
| 2003 | 23.5 °C |
| 2009 | 23.6 °C |
| 2010 | 25.1 °C |
| 2011 | 24.5 °C |
| 2012 | 23.6 °C |
| 2013 | 23.0 °C |
| 2014 | 23.6 °C |
| 2016 | 24.2 °C |
| 2017 | 24.3 °C |
| 2018 | 24.4 °C |
| 2019 | 24.5 °C |
| 2020 | 22.7 °C |
| 2021 | 23.0 °C |
| 2022 | 23.6 °C |
| 2023 | 22.9 °C |
| 2024 | 23.6 °C |
| 2025 | 23.7 °C |
| 2026 | 24.3 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1966, Elroy's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 7 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Kinston Ag Rsch (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.