When to plant in Fairmont, NC
Planting dates worked out from Fairmont'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
Mar 28
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 6
1 year in 10 by Oct 26
Frost-free days
219
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Lumberton Rgnl Ap · 13.4 km away · station 37 m, town 38 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) | Jan 24 – Jan 31 | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 9 |
| Peas | — | Feb 14 – Mar 14 | Apr 10 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | May 30 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 7 – Apr 18 | May 6 |
| Beet | — | Feb 28 – Apr 11 | Apr 19 |
| Potato | — | Mar 7 – Mar 28 | May 16 |
| Kale | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 12 |
| Broccoli | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Feb 28 – Mar 21 | Apr 29 |
| 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) | — | Feb 28 – Mar 21 | May 29 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 23 – Nov 20 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 14 – Mar 14 | Mar 24 |
| Basil | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 13 |
Fairmont'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 |
|---|---|
| 1949 | Apr 17 |
| 1950 | Apr 16 |
| 1951 | Mar 27 |
| 1952 | Mar 17 |
| 1953 | Apr 21 |
| 1954 | Mar 22 |
| 1955 | Mar 31 |
| 1956 | Mar 25 |
| 1957 | Mar 10 |
| 1999 | Mar 16 |
| 2000 | Mar 14 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2003 | Mar 8 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 25 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Mar 10 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2011 | Mar 29 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Mar 29 |
| 2014 | Mar 27 |
| 2015 | Mar 29 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 20 |
| 2018 | Apr 17 |
| 2019 | Mar 7 |
| 2020 | Mar 8 |
| 2021 | Apr 3 |
| 2022 | Mar 28 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Mar 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 202 |
| 1950 | 203 |
| 1951 | 220 |
| 1952 | 217 |
| 1953 | 199 |
| 1954 | 212 |
| 1955 | 218 |
| 1956 | 229 |
| 1957 | 232 |
| 1999 | 232 |
| 2000 | 209 |
| 2001 | 190 |
| 2002 | 240 |
| 2003 | 250 |
| 2004 | 216 |
| 2005 | 187 |
| 2006 | 196 |
| 2007 | 210 |
| 2008 | 232 |
| 2009 | 212 |
| 2010 | 244 |
| 2011 | 214 |
| 2012 | 202 |
| 2013 | 210 |
| 2014 | 219 |
| 2015 | 238 |
| 2016 | 223 |
| 2017 | 235 |
| 2018 | 219 |
| 2019 | 246 |
| 2020 | 255 |
| 2021 | 233 |
| 2022 | 205 |
| 2023 | 224 |
| 2024 | 247 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 23.2 °C |
| 1950 | 22.8 °C |
| 1951 | 23.2 °C |
| 1952 | 23.9 °C |
| 1953 | 23.9 °C |
| 1954 | 23.9 °C |
| 1955 | 23.8 °C |
| 1956 | 23.1 °C |
| 1957 | 23.6 °C |
| 1999 | 23.2 °C |
| 2000 | 23.0 °C |
| 2001 | 22.7 °C |
| 2002 | 23.8 °C |
| 2003 | 22.8 °C |
| 2004 | 23.4 °C |
| 2005 | 23.4 °C |
| 2006 | 23.1 °C |
| 2007 | 23.4 °C |
| 2008 | 23.7 °C |
| 2009 | 23.6 °C |
| 2010 | 25.1 °C |
| 2011 | 24.6 °C |
| 2012 | 23.6 °C |
| 2013 | 23.0 °C |
| 2014 | 23.7 °C |
| 2015 | 24.8 °C |
| 2016 | 24.5 °C |
| 2017 | 24.0 °C |
| 2018 | 24.5 °C |
| 2019 | 25.1 °C |
| 2020 | 23.0 °C |
| 2021 | 23.6 °C |
| 2022 | 24.4 °C |
| 2023 | 23.3 °C |
| 2024 | 24.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1949, Fairmont's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Lumberton Rgnl Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.