When to plant in Hillsborough, NC
Planting dates worked out from Hillsborough's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 7
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 29
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
202
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Duke Forest North Carolina · 12.1 km away · station 172 m, town 166 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 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 3 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 19 |
| Peas | — | Feb 24 – Mar 24 | Apr 20 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 1 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 16 |
| Beet | — | Mar 10 – Apr 21 | Apr 29 |
| Potato | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 26 |
| Kale | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 22 |
| Broccoli | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | May 9 |
| Cucumber | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 3 |
| Winter squash | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jul 8 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | Jun 8 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 15 – Nov 12 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 24 – Mar 24 | Apr 3 |
| Basil | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 15 |
Hillsborough'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 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 28 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 17 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2013 | Mar 29 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Apr 8 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Mar 8 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Mar 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 182 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 184 |
| 2004 | 191 |
| 2005 | 192 |
| 2006 | 187 |
| 2007 | 202 |
| 2008 | 186 |
| 2009 | 203 |
| 2010 | 224 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 239 |
| 2013 | 209 |
| 2014 | 199 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2016 | 215 |
| 2017 | 216 |
| 2018 | 184 |
| 2019 | 214 |
| 2020 | 254 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 181 |
| 2023 | 224 |
| 2024 | 241 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 21.1 °C |
| 2001 | 21.3 °C |
| 2002 | 22.5 °C |
| 2003 | 21.2 °C |
| 2004 | 22.0 °C |
| 2005 | 22.1 °C |
| 2006 | 21.8 °C |
| 2007 | 22.3 °C |
| 2008 | 21.9 °C |
| 2009 | 21.8 °C |
| 2010 | 23.7 °C |
| 2011 | 22.9 °C |
| 2012 | 22.2 °C |
| 2013 | 21.5 °C |
| 2014 | 22.1 °C |
| 2015 | 22.8 °C |
| 2016 | 22.7 °C |
| 2017 | 22.6 °C |
| 2018 | 22.9 °C |
| 2019 | 23.4 °C |
| 2020 | 21.6 °C |
| 2021 | 21.8 °C |
| 2022 | 22.2 °C |
| 2023 | 21.6 °C |
| 2024 | 22.8 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Duke Forest North Carolina (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.