When to plant in Pittsboro, NC

Planting dates worked out from Pittsboro's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out

Apr 12

1 year in 10 has a later frost

Average last frost

Mar 30

about a 50% chance of a later one

Average first fall frost

Nov 3

1 year in 10 by Oct 25

Frost-free days

215

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Chapel Hill 2 W · 22.7 km away · station 152 m, town 124 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Feb 15 – Mar 1	Apr 12 – Apr 26	Jun 6
Sweet pepper	Feb 1 – Feb 15	Apr 12 – Apr 26	Jun 11
Lettuce (leaf)	Jan 26 – Feb 2	Mar 2 – Mar 16	Apr 11
Peas	—	Feb 16 – Mar 16	Apr 12
Bush beans	—	Apr 5 – Apr 26	May 25
Carrot	—	Mar 9 – Apr 20	May 8
Beet	—	Mar 3 – Apr 14	Apr 22
Potato	—	Mar 9 – Mar 30	May 18
Kale	Jan 19 – Feb 2	Mar 2 – Mar 16	Apr 14
Broccoli	Jan 19 – Feb 2	Mar 2 – Mar 23	May 1
Cucumber	Mar 15 – Mar 22	Apr 12 – Apr 26	Jun 1
Summer squash and zucchini	Mar 15 – Mar 22	Apr 12 – Apr 26	May 27
Winter squash	Mar 15 – Mar 22	Apr 12 – Apr 26	Jul 1
Sweet corn	—	Apr 5 – Apr 26	Jun 4
Onion (from sets)	—	Mar 2 – Mar 23	May 31
Garlic	—	Oct 20 – Nov 17 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Feb 16 – Mar 16	Mar 26
Basil	Mar 1 – Mar 15	Apr 12 – Apr 26	Jun 8

Plan all 65 crops for Pittsboro

Pittsboro'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
1891	Apr 6
1892	Apr 15
1893	Mar 30
1894	Mar 30
1895	Apr 3
1896	Apr 8
1898	Apr 6
1899	Apr 10
1900	Apr 5
1901	Mar 29
1902	Apr 3
1903	Apr 5
1905	Apr 18
1907	Apr 16
1909	Apr 11
1911	Apr 24
1912	Apr 8
1914	Apr 10
1916	Apr 10
1917	Apr 10
1921	Mar 5
1922	Mar 23
1924	Apr 3
1925	Apr 7
1926	Apr 20
1927	Apr 11
1928	Apr 17
1929	Mar 11
1930	Apr 26
1931	Mar 30
1932	Mar 23
1933	Mar 22
1934	Mar 25
1935	Mar 15
1936	Apr 4
1937	Apr 11
1938	Mar 12
1939	Mar 19
1940	Apr 14
1941	Mar 30
1942	Apr 1
1943	Apr 16
1944	Apr 6
1945	Feb 25
1946	Mar 12
1947	Mar 29
1948	Mar 29
1949	Apr 17
1950	Apr 16
1951	Apr 6
1952	Apr 8
1953	Apr 22
1954	Apr 2
1955	Apr 1
1956	May 9
1957	Apr 16
1958	Apr 8
1959	Apr 5
1960	Apr 11
1961	Apr 30
1962	Apr 21
1963	May 2
1964	Apr 10
1965	Apr 3
1966	May 11
1967	Mar 31
1968	Apr 17
1969	Apr 1
1970	Apr 8
1971	Apr 15
1972	Apr 27
1975	Apr 14
1976	Apr 13
1977	Apr 10
1978	Apr 22
1980	May 11
1981	Apr 7
1982	May 2
1984	Apr 11
1985	Apr 10
1986	Apr 24
1987	Apr 7
1988	Apr 20
1989	May 8
1990	Apr 20
1991	Mar 16
1992	Apr 6
1993	Mar 21
1994	Mar 30
1995	Apr 4
1996	Apr 10
1997	Apr 10
1998	Mar 23
1999	Mar 17
2000	Mar 19
2001	Apr 20
2002	Apr 7
2003	Apr 1
2004	Mar 24
2005	Mar 20
2006	Mar 28
2007	Apr 10
2008	Apr 17
2009	Mar 23
2010	Mar 9
2011	Apr 6
2012	Mar 12
2013	Mar 30
2014	Apr 17
2015	Mar 30
2016	Apr 11
2017	Mar 21
2018	Apr 9
2020	Mar 9
2021	Apr 24
2022	Mar 30
2023	Mar 22
2024	Mar 26
2025	Mar 28
2026	Mar 31

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1891	204
1892	192
1893	212
1894	220
1895	188
1896	193
1898	214
1899	207
1900	217
1901	222
1902	212
1909	221
1916	219
1921	217
1922	238
1924	203
1925	198
1926	189
1927	209
1928	208
1929	229
1930	178
1931	217
1932	234
1933	231
1934	217
1935	252
1936	209
1937	186
1938	257
1939	210
1940	208
1941	223
1942	224
1943	207
1944	214
1945	252
1946	246
1947	228
1948	203
1949	200
1950	203
1951	211
1952	195
1953	197
1954	212
1955	206
1956	184
1957	180
1958	205
1959	211
1960	193
1961	179
1962	185
1963	165
1964	180
1965	185
1966	172
1967	202
1968	192
1969	205
1970	192
1971	203
1972	175
1975	199
1976	180
1977	189
1978	168
1980	167
1982	167
1984	210
1985	212
1986	176
1987	184
1988	171
1989	154
1990	189
1991	233
1992	196
1993	217
1994	211
1995	209
1996	206
1997	219
1998	228
1999	231
2000	240
2001	191
2002	208
2003	226
2004	230
2005	220
2006	210
2007	202
2008	195
2009	228
2010	242
2011	206
2012	247
2013	209
2014	199
2015	202
2016	215
2020	253
2021	194
2022	202
2024	240
2025	227

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1891	22.6 °C
1892	22.6 °C
1893	22.6 °C
1894	22.3 °C
1895	22.1 °C
1896	23.5 °C
1898	23.0 °C
1899	22.1 °C
1900	23.6 °C
1901	22.3 °C
1902	23.1 °C
1909	21.8 °C
1916	21.7 °C
1921	23.3 °C
1922	23.2 °C
1924	21.8 °C
1925	23.4 °C
1926	22.8 °C
1928	21.6 °C
1929	22.2 °C
1930	23.3 °C
1931	22.6 °C
1932	23.1 °C
1933	23.7 °C
1934	23.5 °C
1935	22.3 °C
1936	23.2 °C
1937	22.8 °C
1938	22.8 °C
1939	23.1 °C
1940	22.2 °C
1941	23.6 °C
1942	23.4 °C
1943	23.0 °C
1944	23.2 °C
1945	23.2 °C
1946	22.2 °C
1947	22.7 °C
1948	22.7 °C
1949	22.7 °C
1950	21.6 °C
1951	21.9 °C
1952	22.6 °C
1953	22.7 °C
1954	22.4 °C
1955	22.2 °C
1956	21.0 °C
1957	21.8 °C
1958	21.2 °C
1959	21.9 °C
1960	21.5 °C
1961	20.6 °C
1962	21.1 °C
1963	20.7 °C
1964	20.9 °C
1965	21.8 °C
1966	21.1 °C
1967	20.2 °C
1968	21.6 °C
1969	21.7 °C
1970	22.2 °C
1971	21.0 °C
1972	20.5 °C
1973	21.5 °C
1975	21.0 °C
1976	20.5 °C
1977	21.7 °C
1978	19.9 °C
1980	21.1 °C
1982	20.2 °C
1984	19.5 °C
1985	21.5 °C
1986	21.6 °C
1987	22.3 °C
1988	21.7 °C
1989	20.9 °C
1990	21.2 °C
1991	22.9 °C
1992	20.9 °C
1993	22.4 °C
1994	21.7 °C
1995	22.0 °C
1996	21.7 °C
1997	20.9 °C
1998	22.6 °C
1999	21.8 °C
2000	21.4 °C
2001	21.6 °C
2002	23.0 °C
2003	21.3 °C
2004	22.2 °C
2005	22.3 °C
2006	21.9 °C
2007	22.8 °C
2008	21.7 °C
2009	21.8 °C
2010	23.9 °C
2011	23.1 °C
2012	22.2 °C
2013	21.2 °C
2014	21.8 °C
2015	22.6 °C
2017	22.6 °C
2019	23.6 °C
2020	21.5 °C
2021	22.1 °C
2022	22.3 °C
2023	21.5 °C
2024	22.7 °C
2025	22.6 °C
2026	23.3 °C

What this means for you: Since 1891, Pittsboro's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Chapel Hill 2 W (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Fearrington Village Briar Chapel Farmville (near Sanford)Carrboro Chapel Hill Green Level (near Apex)