When to plant in Surf City, NC
Planting dates worked out from Surf City's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 12
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 27
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
186
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Back Island North Carolina · 19.9 km away · station 6 m, town 1 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 17 – Mar 31 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 6 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 11 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 2 |
| Peas | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | May 3 |
| Bush beans | — | May 5 – May 26 | Jun 24 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 30 – May 11 | May 29 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | Jun 8 |
| Kale | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 5 |
| Broccoli | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | May 22 |
| Cucumber | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 1 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jun 26 |
| Winter squash | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 31 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 5 – May 26 | Jul 4 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 21 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 13 – Nov 10 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | Apr 16 |
| Basil | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 8 |
Surf City'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 |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 29 |
| 2005 | Apr 25 |
| 2006 | Apr 30 |
| 2007 | May 14 |
| 2008 | May 14 |
| 2009 | Apr 23 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | May 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 24 |
| 2013 | Mar 29 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Mar 24 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Apr 16 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Apr 18 |
| 2024 | Apr 23 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 226 |
| 2004 | 189 |
| 2005 | 184 |
| 2006 | 166 |
| 2007 | 150 |
| 2008 | 157 |
| 2009 | 178 |
| 2010 | 159 |
| 2011 | 176 |
| 2012 | 190 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 211 |
| 2019 | 213 |
| 2020 | 199 |
| 2021 | 178 |
| 2022 | 181 |
| 2023 | 173 |
| 2024 | 176 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 22.5 °C |
| 2004 | 22.4 °C |
| 2005 | 22.3 °C |
| 2006 | 21.8 °C |
| 2007 | 21.6 °C |
| 2008 | 22.1 °C |
| 2009 | 22.1 °C |
| 2010 | 23.5 °C |
| 2011 | 23.4 °C |
| 2012 | 23.3 °C |
| 2017 | 23.8 °C |
| 2018 | 23.9 °C |
| 2019 | 23.7 °C |
| 2020 | 22.7 °C |
| 2021 | 22.3 °C |
| 2022 | 22.8 °C |
| 2023 | 22.4 °C |
| 2024 | 22.9 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Back Island North Carolina (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.