When to plant in Polkton, NC
Planting dates worked out from Polkton's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 8
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 21
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 8
1 year in 10 by Oct 27
Frost-free days
237
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Wadesboro · 12.5 km away · station 146 m, town 99 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 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 17 – Jan 24 | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 2 |
| Peas | — | Feb 7 – Mar 7 | Apr 3 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 28 – Apr 11 | Apr 29 |
| Beet | — | Feb 21 – Apr 4 | Apr 12 |
| Potato | — | Feb 28 – Mar 21 | May 9 |
| Kale | Jan 10 – Jan 24 | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 5 |
| Broccoli | Jan 10 – Jan 24 | Feb 21 – Mar 14 | Apr 22 |
| Cucumber | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 23 |
| Winter squash | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 31 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 21 – Mar 14 | May 22 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 25 – Nov 22 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 7 – Mar 7 | Mar 17 |
| Basil | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 4 |
Polkton'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 |
|---|---|
| 1939 | Mar 20 |
| 1941 | Mar 29 |
| 1943 | Apr 17 |
| 1944 | Apr 7 |
| 1945 | Apr 7 |
| 1946 | Mar 2 |
| 1947 | Mar 27 |
| 1948 | Mar 29 |
| 1949 | Mar 21 |
| 1951 | Mar 25 |
| 1952 | Mar 17 |
| 1953 | Apr 21 |
| 1954 | Mar 22 |
| 1955 | Mar 30 |
| 1956 | Apr 9 |
| 1957 | Mar 10 |
| 1958 | Mar 22 |
| 1959 | Mar 29 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Mar 17 |
| 1962 | Apr 17 |
| 1963 | Mar 23 |
| 1964 | Apr 1 |
| 1965 | Mar 23 |
| 1966 | Mar 29 |
| 1967 | Mar 20 |
| 1968 | Mar 24 |
| 1969 | Mar 28 |
| 1970 | Mar 17 |
| 1971 | Mar 31 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 11 |
| 1974 | Apr 10 |
| 1975 | Mar 15 |
| 1976 | Apr 10 |
| 1977 | Mar 8 |
| 1978 | Mar 19 |
| 1979 | Mar 26 |
| 1980 | Mar 22 |
| 1981 | Mar 21 |
| 1982 | Apr 7 |
| 1983 | Apr 21 |
| 1984 | Mar 12 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Mar 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 1 |
| 1988 | Mar 18 |
| 1989 | Apr 12 |
| 1990 | Mar 21 |
| 1991 | Mar 11 |
| 1992 | Apr 6 |
| 1993 | Mar 20 |
| 1994 | Mar 17 |
| 1995 | Mar 11 |
| 1996 | Apr 10 |
| 1997 | Feb 24 |
| 1998 | Mar 14 |
| 1999 | Mar 16 |
| 2000 | Mar 14 |
| 2001 | Mar 28 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Mar 24 |
| 2005 | Mar 19 |
| 2006 | Mar 28 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Mar 25 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2011 | Mar 12 |
| 2012 | Mar 6 |
| 2013 | Mar 30 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1939 | 243 |
| 1941 | 224 |
| 1943 | 184 |
| 1944 | 214 |
| 1945 | 212 |
| 1946 | 257 |
| 1947 | 230 |
| 1948 | 227 |
| 1949 | 228 |
| 1951 | 223 |
| 1952 | 217 |
| 1953 | 199 |
| 1954 | 225 |
| 1955 | 219 |
| 1956 | 214 |
| 1957 | 231 |
| 1958 | 230 |
| 1959 | 233 |
| 1960 | 196 |
| 1961 | 223 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 224 |
| 1964 | 234 |
| 1965 | 215 |
| 1966 | 218 |
| 1967 | 229 |
| 1968 | 232 |
| 1969 | 209 |
| 1970 | 243 |
| 1971 | 221 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1974 | 176 |
| 1975 | 230 |
| 1976 | 200 |
| 1977 | 247 |
| 1978 | 265 |
| 1979 | 233 |
| 1980 | 234 |
| 1981 | 212 |
| 1982 | 212 |
| 1983 | 206 |
| 1984 | 239 |
| 1985 | 236 |
| 1986 | 235 |
| 1987 | 203 |
| 1988 | 209 |
| 1989 | 218 |
| 1990 | 242 |
| 1991 | 238 |
| 1992 | 196 |
| 1993 | 226 |
| 1994 | 251 |
| 1995 | 238 |
| 1996 | 206 |
| 1997 | 265 |
| 1998 | 237 |
| 1999 | 232 |
| 2000 | 245 |
| 2001 | 213 |
| 2002 | 244 |
| 2003 | 242 |
| 2004 | 230 |
| 2005 | 243 |
| 2006 | 209 |
| 2007 | 203 |
| 2008 | 216 |
| 2009 | 233 |
| 2010 | 243 |
| 2011 | 243 |
| 2012 | 245 |
| 2013 | 209 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1939 | 23.2 °C |
| 1940 | 22.9 °C |
| 1941 | 23.2 °C |
| 1942 | 22.9 °C |
| 1944 | 23.3 °C |
| 1945 | 23.5 °C |
| 1946 | 21.9 °C |
| 1947 | 22.3 °C |
| 1948 | 22.9 °C |
| 1949 | 22.3 °C |
| 1950 | 22.5 °C |
| 1951 | 22.4 °C |
| 1952 | 23.1 °C |
| 1953 | 23.0 °C |
| 1954 | 23.8 °C |
| 1955 | 23.4 °C |
| 1956 | 22.6 °C |
| 1957 | 22.9 °C |
| 1958 | 22.7 °C |
| 1959 | 22.9 °C |
| 1960 | 22.9 °C |
| 1961 | 21.9 °C |
| 1962 | 23.0 °C |
| 1963 | 22.0 °C |
| 1964 | 22.2 °C |
| 1965 | 22.7 °C |
| 1966 | 22.1 °C |
| 1967 | 21.5 °C |
| 1968 | 22.9 °C |
| 1969 | 22.7 °C |
| 1970 | 23.4 °C |
| 1971 | 22.2 °C |
| 1972 | 21.9 °C |
| 1974 | 22.1 °C |
| 1975 | 22.6 °C |
| 1976 | 22.0 °C |
| 1977 | 24.0 °C |
| 1978 | 22.9 °C |
| 1979 | 22.1 °C |
| 1980 | 23.7 °C |
| 1981 | 22.9 °C |
| 1982 | 22.4 °C |
| 1983 | 23.0 °C |
| 1984 | 22.2 °C |
| 1985 | 22.8 °C |
| 1986 | 23.8 °C |
| 1987 | 23.3 °C |
| 1988 | 22.6 °C |
| 1989 | 22.3 °C |
| 1990 | 23.3 °C |
| 1991 | 23.3 °C |
| 1992 | 22.0 °C |
| 1993 | 23.4 °C |
| 1994 | 22.4 °C |
| 1995 | 22.9 °C |
| 1996 | 22.8 °C |
| 1997 | 21.6 °C |
| 1998 | 23.8 °C |
| 1999 | 22.9 °C |
| 2000 | 22.8 °C |
| 2001 | 22.9 °C |
| 2002 | 23.9 °C |
| 2003 | 22.3 °C |
| 2004 | 23.4 °C |
| 2005 | 23.0 °C |
| 2006 | 22.8 °C |
| 2007 | 22.4 °C |
| 2008 | 22.2 °C |
| 2009 | 23.1 °C |
| 2010 | 24.7 °C |
| 2011 | 23.8 °C |
| 2012 | 23.1 °C |
| 2013 | 22.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1939, Polkton's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Wadesboro (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.