When to plant in Rockingham, NC
Planting dates worked out from Rockingham's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 26
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 7
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 29
1 year in 10 by Oct 18
Frost-free days
209
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Hamlet · 9.5 km away · station 107 m, town 86 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 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 20 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 25 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 3 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 19 |
| Peas | — | Feb 24 – Mar 24 | Apr 20 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 19 – May 10 | Jun 8 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 16 |
| Beet | — | Mar 10 – Apr 21 | Apr 29 |
| Potato | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 26 |
| Kale | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 22 |
| Broccoli | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | May 9 |
| Cucumber | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 15 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 10 |
| Winter squash | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jul 15 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 19 – May 10 | Jun 18 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | Jun 8 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 15 – Nov 12 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 24 – Mar 24 | Apr 3 |
| Basil | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 22 |
Rockingham'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 |
|---|---|
| 1950 | Apr 16 |
| 1951 | Mar 27 |
| 1952 | Mar 29 |
| 1953 | Apr 21 |
| 1954 | Mar 22 |
| 1955 | Mar 31 |
| 1956 | Apr 9 |
| 1957 | Apr 9 |
| 1959 | Mar 29 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Apr 8 |
| 1962 | Apr 17 |
| 1963 | May 2 |
| 1964 | Apr 10 |
| 1965 | Apr 3 |
| 1966 | Apr 7 |
| 1967 | Apr 29 |
| 1968 | Mar 25 |
| 1969 | Apr 25 |
| 1970 | Apr 8 |
| 1971 | Apr 23 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1974 | Apr 11 |
| 1975 | Apr 5 |
| 1976 | Apr 13 |
| 1977 | Apr 6 |
| 1978 | Mar 28 |
| 1979 | Apr 6 |
| 1980 | Apr 16 |
| 1981 | Mar 29 |
| 1982 | Apr 24 |
| 1983 | Apr 22 |
| 1984 | Mar 31 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Apr 24 |
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1988 | Apr 29 |
| 1989 | May 8 |
| 1990 | Apr 12 |
| 1991 | Mar 20 |
| 1992 | May 7 |
| 1993 | Apr 28 |
| 1994 | Mar 30 |
| 1995 | Apr 3 |
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1997 | Apr 19 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | Apr 29 |
| 2000 | Mar 14 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 25 |
| 2006 | Mar 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2011 | Apr 3 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Mar 29 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Mar 29 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 23 |
| 2018 | Apr 17 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Mar 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 10 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Mar 25 |
| 2025 | Apr 13 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 210 |
| 1951 | 221 |
| 1952 | 206 |
| 1953 | 199 |
| 1954 | 222 |
| 1955 | 213 |
| 1956 | 185 |
| 1957 | 194 |
| 1959 | 210 |
| 1960 | 196 |
| 1961 | 201 |
| 1962 | 189 |
| 1963 | 181 |
| 1964 | 184 |
| 1965 | 204 |
| 1966 | 209 |
| 1968 | 215 |
| 1969 | 181 |
| 1970 | 192 |
| 1971 | 198 |
| 1973 | 186 |
| 1974 | 174 |
| 1975 | 209 |
| 1976 | 191 |
| 1977 | 194 |
| 1978 | 202 |
| 1979 | 191 |
| 1980 | 192 |
| 1982 | 177 |
| 1983 | 188 |
| 1984 | 220 |
| 1986 | 178 |
| 1987 | 186 |
| 1988 | 166 |
| 1989 | 165 |
| 1990 | 200 |
| 1991 | 223 |
| 1992 | 140 |
| 1993 | 186 |
| 1994 | 211 |
| 1995 | 215 |
| 1996 | 204 |
| 1997 | 187 |
| 1998 | 202 |
| 1999 | 176 |
| 2000 | 209 |
| 2001 | 191 |
| 2002 | 214 |
| 2004 | 217 |
| 2005 | 186 |
| 2006 | 210 |
| 2007 | 185 |
| 2008 | 186 |
| 2009 | 212 |
| 2010 | 228 |
| 2011 | 209 |
| 2012 | 202 |
| 2013 | 210 |
| 2014 | 200 |
| 2015 | 203 |
| 2016 | 211 |
| 2017 | 220 |
| 2018 | 207 |
| 2019 | 219 |
| 2020 | 238 |
| 2021 | 205 |
| 2022 | 191 |
| 2023 | 225 |
| 2024 | 241 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 22.6 °C |
| 1951 | 22.9 °C |
| 1952 | 23.5 °C |
| 1953 | 23.8 °C |
| 1954 | 23.9 °C |
| 1955 | 23.4 °C |
| 1956 | 22.7 °C |
| 1957 | 22.8 °C |
| 1959 | 23.1 °C |
| 1960 | 23.0 °C |
| 1961 | 21.9 °C |
| 1962 | 23.1 °C |
| 1963 | 22.4 °C |
| 1964 | 22.4 °C |
| 1965 | 22.6 °C |
| 1966 | 22.2 °C |
| 1967 | 21.4 °C |
| 1968 | 23.1 °C |
| 1969 | 22.8 °C |
| 1970 | 23.7 °C |
| 1971 | 22.7 °C |
| 1972 | 21.9 °C |
| 1973 | 22.6 °C |
| 1974 | 22.2 °C |
| 1975 | 22.9 °C |
| 1976 | 21.9 °C |
| 1977 | 23.6 °C |
| 1978 | 22.8 °C |
| 1979 | 22.4 °C |
| 1980 | 23.3 °C |
| 1981 | 21.6 °C |
| 1982 | 21.5 °C |
| 1983 | 22.4 °C |
| 1984 | 22.3 °C |
| 1986 | 23.5 °C |
| 1987 | 22.7 °C |
| 1988 | 21.6 °C |
| 1989 | 21.6 °C |
| 1990 | 22.9 °C |
| 1991 | 23.1 °C |
| 1992 | 20.9 °C |
| 1993 | 23.1 °C |
| 1994 | 22.4 °C |
| 1995 | 22.8 °C |
| 1996 | 22.6 °C |
| 1997 | 20.9 °C |
| 1998 | 22.9 °C |
| 1999 | 22.8 °C |
| 2000 | 23.6 °C |
| 2001 | 22.6 °C |
| 2002 | 24.1 °C |
| 2004 | 23.4 °C |
| 2005 | 23.6 °C |
| 2006 | 23.0 °C |
| 2007 | 23.3 °C |
| 2008 | 22.5 °C |
| 2009 | 23.3 °C |
| 2010 | 24.6 °C |
| 2011 | 24.6 °C |
| 2012 | 23.7 °C |
| 2013 | 23.1 °C |
| 2014 | 23.8 °C |
| 2015 | 24.5 °C |
| 2016 | 24.5 °C |
| 2017 | 24.4 °C |
| 2018 | 24.7 °C |
| 2019 | 24.7 °C |
| 2020 | 22.8 °C |
| 2021 | 22.9 °C |
| 2022 | 23.4 °C |
| 2023 | 22.7 °C |
| 2024 | 23.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1950, Rockingham'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 Hamlet (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.