When to plant in Oxford, NC
Planting dates worked out from Oxford's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 26
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 5
1 year in 10 by Oct 28
Frost-free days
224
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Oxford Ag · 1.9 km away · station 152 m, town 147 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 12 – Feb 26 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 3 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 8 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 22 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 7 |
| Peas | — | Feb 19 – Mar 19 | Apr 15 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | May 22 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 5 – Apr 16 | May 4 |
| Beet | — | Mar 4 – Apr 15 | Apr 23 |
| Potato | — | Mar 5 – Mar 26 | May 14 |
| Kale | Jan 15 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 10 |
| Broccoli | Jan 15 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 19 | Apr 27 |
| Cucumber | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 29 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 24 |
| Winter squash | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 28 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jun 1 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 26 – Mar 19 | May 27 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 22 – Nov 19 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 19 – Mar 19 | Mar 29 |
| Basil | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 5 |
Oxford'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 |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Mar 18 |
| 1996 | Apr 9 |
| 1997 | Apr 10 |
| 1998 | Mar 23 |
| 1999 | Mar 16 |
| 2000 | Mar 18 |
| 2001 | Mar 28 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Mar 24 |
| 2005 | Mar 18 |
| 2006 | Mar 23 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Mar 26 |
| 2009 | Mar 22 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Mar 30 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2013 | Mar 27 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 230 |
| 1996 | 206 |
| 1997 | 195 |
| 1998 | 228 |
| 1999 | 232 |
| 2000 | 242 |
| 2001 | 214 |
| 2003 | 227 |
| 2005 | 225 |
| 2006 | 216 |
| 2007 | 212 |
| 2008 | 217 |
| 2009 | 253 |
| 2010 | 224 |
| 2011 | 213 |
| 2012 | 238 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 22.0 °C |
| 1996 | 21.8 °C |
| 1997 | 20.7 °C |
| 1998 | 22.7 °C |
| 1999 | 21.9 °C |
| 2000 | 21.6 °C |
| 2001 | 21.5 °C |
| 2002 | 22.8 °C |
| 2003 | 21.6 °C |
| 2004 | 22.2 °C |
| 2005 | 22.4 °C |
| 2006 | 21.9 °C |
| 2007 | 22.7 °C |
| 2008 | 21.7 °C |
| 2009 | 21.8 °C |
| 2010 | 23.4 °C |
| 2011 | 23.0 °C |
| 2012 | 21.9 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Oxford Ag (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.