When to plant in North Wilkesboro, NC
Planting dates worked out from North Wilkesboro's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 30
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 14
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
192
median, 1991–2020
Station used: N Wilkesboro · 0.8 km away · station 341 m, town 305 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 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 24 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 29 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 10 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 26 |
| Peas | — | Mar 3 – Mar 31 | Apr 27 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 12 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 24 – May 5 | May 23 |
| Beet | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 6 |
| Potato | — | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | Jun 2 |
| Kale | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 29 |
| Broccoli | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 16 |
| Cucumber | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 19 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 14 |
| Winter squash | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jul 19 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 22 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | Jun 15 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 3 – Mar 31 | Apr 10 |
| Basil | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 26 |
North Wilkesboro'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 |
|---|---|
| 1956 | Apr 21 |
| 1957 | Apr 16 |
| 1958 | Apr 14 |
| 1959 | Apr 24 |
| 1960 | Apr 19 |
| 1961 | May 3 |
| 1962 | Apr 22 |
| 1963 | May 2 |
| 1964 | Apr 16 |
| 1965 | Apr 17 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | Apr 29 |
| 1968 | May 7 |
| 1969 | May 13 |
| 1970 | May 7 |
| 1971 | May 5 |
| 1972 | Apr 27 |
| 1973 | May 18 |
| 1974 | Apr 12 |
| 1975 | Apr 22 |
| 1976 | May 5 |
| 1977 | May 11 |
| 1978 | May 3 |
| 1979 | Apr 29 |
| 1980 | Apr 17 |
| 1981 | May 3 |
| 1982 | Apr 24 |
| 1983 | Apr 22 |
| 1984 | Apr 19 |
| 1985 | Apr 11 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | Apr 11 |
| 1988 | Apr 21 |
| 1989 | May 8 |
| 1990 | Apr 20 |
| 1991 | Apr 2 |
| 1992 | Apr 29 |
| 1993 | Apr 27 |
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | Apr 14 |
| 1996 | Apr 30 |
| 1997 | May 10 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | Apr 18 |
| 2000 | Apr 23 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 7 |
| 2012 | Apr 15 |
| 2013 | Apr 6 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Apr 11 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Apr 9 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Apr 11 |
| 2024 | Apr 8 |
| 2025 | Apr 14 |
| 2026 | Apr 10 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1956 | 173 |
| 1957 | 180 |
| 1958 | 175 |
| 1959 | 178 |
| 1960 | 184 |
| 1961 | 176 |
| 1962 | 184 |
| 1963 | 144 |
| 1964 | 172 |
| 1965 | 190 |
| 1966 | 162 |
| 1967 | 153 |
| 1968 | 150 |
| 1969 | 157 |
| 1970 | 150 |
| 1971 | 183 |
| 1972 | 156 |
| 1973 | 152 |
| 1974 | 173 |
| 1975 | 163 |
| 1976 | 165 |
| 1977 | 150 |
| 1978 | 158 |
| 1979 | 167 |
| 1980 | 178 |
| 1981 | 169 |
| 1982 | 175 |
| 1983 | 188 |
| 1984 | 201 |
| 1985 | 210 |
| 1986 | 193 |
| 1987 | 180 |
| 1988 | 167 |
| 1989 | 164 |
| 1990 | 189 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1992 | 171 |
| 1993 | 177 |
| 1994 | 200 |
| 1995 | 184 |
| 1996 | 156 |
| 1997 | 164 |
| 1998 | 192 |
| 1999 | 185 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 206 |
| 2003 | 183 |
| 2004 | 212 |
| 2005 | 191 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 200 |
| 2008 | 174 |
| 2009 | 188 |
| 2010 | 215 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 201 |
| 2013 | 200 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 196 |
| 2016 | 213 |
| 2017 | 219 |
| 2018 | 195 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 176 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 182 |
| 2023 | 204 |
| 2024 | 191 |
| 2025 | 200 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1956 | 20.4 °C |
| 1957 | 21.1 °C |
| 1958 | 20.7 °C |
| 1959 | 21.2 °C |
| 1960 | 20.7 °C |
| 1961 | 19.2 °C |
| 1962 | 20.0 °C |
| 1963 | 19.7 °C |
| 1964 | 19.8 °C |
| 1965 | 20.5 °C |
| 1966 | 19.6 °C |
| 1967 | 18.7 °C |
| 1968 | 19.7 °C |
| 1969 | 20.1 °C |
| 1970 | 20.6 °C |
| 1971 | 19.9 °C |
| 1972 | 19.2 °C |
| 1973 | 19.7 °C |
| 1974 | 19.1 °C |
| 1975 | 19.8 °C |
| 1976 | 18.8 °C |
| 1977 | 20.6 °C |
| 1978 | 19.2 °C |
| 1979 | 19.1 °C |
| 1980 | 20.8 °C |
| 1981 | 20.4 °C |
| 1982 | 20.0 °C |
| 1983 | 19.7 °C |
| 1984 | 19.1 °C |
| 1985 | 20.2 °C |
| 1986 | 21.1 °C |
| 1987 | 20.9 °C |
| 1988 | 20.1 °C |
| 1989 | 19.8 °C |
| 1990 | 20.6 °C |
| 1991 | 20.9 °C |
| 1992 | 19.3 °C |
| 1993 | 21.0 °C |
| 1994 | 20.2 °C |
| 1995 | 20.5 °C |
| 1996 | 19.9 °C |
| 1997 | 18.4 °C |
| 1998 | 21.1 °C |
| 1999 | 19.8 °C |
| 2001 | 20.2 °C |
| 2002 | 21.0 °C |
| 2003 | 19.8 °C |
| 2004 | 20.4 °C |
| 2005 | 20.4 °C |
| 2006 | 20.2 °C |
| 2007 | 20.9 °C |
| 2008 | 20.2 °C |
| 2009 | 20.2 °C |
| 2010 | 21.9 °C |
| 2011 | 21.1 °C |
| 2012 | 20.9 °C |
| 2013 | 19.8 °C |
| 2014 | 20.1 °C |
| 2015 | 21.1 °C |
| 2016 | 21.4 °C |
| 2017 | 21.0 °C |
| 2018 | 21.8 °C |
| 2019 | 22.0 °C |
| 2020 | 20.5 °C |
| 2021 | 20.9 °C |
| 2022 | 21.3 °C |
| 2023 | 20.5 °C |
| 2024 | 21.8 °C |
| 2025 | 20.8 °C |
| 2026 | 21.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1956, North Wilkesboro's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from N Wilkesboro (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.