When to plant in Harkers Island, NC
Planting dates worked out from Harkers Island's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 24
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 28
1 year in 10 by Nov 17
Frost-free days
264
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Beaufort - Asos · 9.8 km away · station 2 m, town 3 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 | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 18 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 13 – Jan 27 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 23 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 6 – Jan 13 | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Mar 22 |
| Peas | — | Jan 27 – Feb 24 | Mar 23 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 6 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 18 |
| Beet | — | Feb 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 1 |
| Potato | — | Feb 17 – Mar 10 | Apr 28 |
| Kale | Dec 30 – Jan 13 | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Mar 25 |
| Broccoli | Dec 30 – Jan 13 | Feb 10 – Mar 3 | Apr 11 |
| Cucumber | Feb 24 – Mar 3 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 13 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Feb 24 – Mar 3 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 8 |
| Winter squash | Feb 24 – Mar 3 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | Jun 12 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 16 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 10 – Mar 3 | May 11 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 14 – Dec 12 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 27 – Feb 24 | Mar 6 |
| Basil | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 20 |
Harkers Island'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 |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Mar 11 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2003 | Feb 24 |
| 2004 | Mar 24 |
| 2005 | Mar 15 |
| 2006 | Mar 8 |
| 2007 | Mar 19 |
| 2008 | Mar 1 |
| 2009 | Mar 5 |
| 2010 | Mar 7 |
| 2011 | Feb 16 |
| 2012 | Feb 14 |
| 2013 | Mar 22 |
| 2014 | Mar 27 |
| 2015 | Mar 29 |
| 2016 | Mar 5 |
| 2017 | Mar 17 |
| 2018 | Mar 6 |
| 2019 | Mar 7 |
| 2020 | Mar 8 |
| 2021 | Apr 2 |
| 2022 | Mar 13 |
| 2023 | Feb 4 |
| 2024 | Jan 23 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 255 |
| 2002 | 252 |
| 2003 | 280 |
| 2004 | 265 |
| 2005 | 262 |
| 2006 | 271 |
| 2007 | 242 |
| 2008 | 262 |
| 2009 | 291 |
| 2010 | 269 |
| 2011 | 288 |
| 2012 | 283 |
| 2013 | 236 |
| 2014 | 236 |
| 2015 | 239 |
| 2016 | 261 |
| 2017 | 270 |
| 2018 | 266 |
| 2019 | 250 |
| 2020 | 269 |
| 2021 | 236 |
| 2022 | 248 |
| 2023 | 297 |
| 2024 | 310 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 22.5 °C |
| 2002 | 23.5 °C |
| 2003 | 22.8 °C |
| 2004 | 23.7 °C |
| 2005 | 22.9 °C |
| 2006 | 22.7 °C |
| 2007 | 22.8 °C |
| 2008 | 23.2 °C |
| 2009 | 22.8 °C |
| 2010 | 24.0 °C |
| 2011 | 24.8 °C |
| 2012 | 23.7 °C |
| 2013 | 22.7 °C |
| 2014 | 23.4 °C |
| 2015 | 23.6 °C |
| 2016 | 23.9 °C |
| 2017 | 24.1 °C |
| 2018 | 23.8 °C |
| 2019 | 24.7 °C |
| 2020 | 23.6 °C |
| 2021 | 23.3 °C |
| 2022 | 24.1 °C |
| 2023 | 23.3 °C |
| 2024 | 24.5 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Beaufort - Asos (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.