When to plant in Rockfish, NC
Planting dates worked out from Rockfish's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 15
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 1
1 year in 10 by Oct 26
Frost-free days
209
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Raeford · 13.9 km away · station 76 m, town 66 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 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 9 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 14 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 1 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 17 |
| Peas | — | Feb 22 – Mar 22 | Apr 18 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | May 28 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 15 – Apr 26 | May 14 |
| Beet | — | Mar 8 – Apr 19 | Apr 27 |
| Potato | — | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | May 24 |
| Kale | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 20 |
| Broccoli | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | May 7 |
| Cucumber | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 4 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 30 |
| Winter squash | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jul 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | Jun 6 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 18 – Nov 15 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 22 – Mar 22 | Apr 1 |
| Basil | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 11 |
Rockfish'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 |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Apr 3 |
| 1994 | Apr 2 |
| 1995 | Apr 4 |
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1997 | Apr 12 |
| 1998 | Mar 14 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Mar 15 |
| 2001 | Apr 20 |
| 2002 | Apr 8 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2011 | Apr 7 |
| 2012 | Apr 15 |
| 2013 | Mar 30 |
| 2014 | Mar 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 208 |
| 1994 | 208 |
| 1995 | 214 |
| 1996 | 205 |
| 1997 | 218 |
| 1998 | 222 |
| 1999 | 211 |
| 2001 | 189 |
| 2002 | 213 |
| 2003 | 226 |
| 2005 | 195 |
| 2007 | 209 |
| 2009 | 211 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 199 |
| 2013 | 209 |
| 2014 | 219 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 22.6 °C |
| 1994 | 22.2 °C |
| 1995 | 22.9 °C |
| 1996 | 23.2 °C |
| 1997 | 21.6 °C |
| 1998 | 24.0 °C |
| 1999 | 23.1 °C |
| 2000 | 21.9 °C |
| 2001 | 21.8 °C |
| 2002 | 23.0 °C |
| 2003 | 21.5 °C |
| 2006 | 22.8 °C |
| 2008 | 22.5 °C |
| 2009 | 22.4 °C |
| 2011 | 23.2 °C |
| 2013 | 21.4 °C |
| 2014 | 22.2 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Raeford (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.