When to plant in Wanchese, NC
Planting dates worked out from Wanchese's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 28
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 3
1 year in 10 by Nov 17
Frost-free days
256
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Manteo Ap · 10.0 km away · station 4 m, town 2 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 | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 22 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 27 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 12 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Mar 28 |
| Peas | — | Feb 2 – Mar 2 | Mar 29 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 21 – Apr 11 | May 10 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 23 – Apr 6 | Apr 24 |
| Beet | — | Feb 20 – Apr 3 | Apr 11 |
| Potato | — | Feb 23 – Mar 16 | May 4 |
| Kale | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Mar 31 |
| Broccoli | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 9 | Apr 17 |
| Cucumber | Feb 28 – Mar 7 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 17 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Feb 28 – Mar 7 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 12 |
| Winter squash | Feb 28 – Mar 7 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | Jun 16 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 21 – Apr 11 | May 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 16 – Mar 9 | May 17 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 19 – Dec 17 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 2 – Mar 2 | Mar 12 |
| Basil | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 24 |
Wanchese'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 |
|---|---|
| 1967 | Apr 12 |
| 1968 | Mar 15 |
| 1970 | Mar 17 |
| 1971 | Apr 1 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | Mar 15 |
| 1975 | Apr 13 |
| 1976 | Apr 13 |
| 1977 | Apr 10 |
| 1979 | Mar 20 |
| 1980 | Mar 19 |
| 1982 | Apr 19 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Mar 22 |
| 1987 | Mar 25 |
| 1990 | Mar 2 |
| 1991 | Mar 17 |
| 1992 | Mar 25 |
| 1994 | Mar 17 |
| 1995 | Mar 11 |
| 1996 | Mar 10 |
| 1997 | Mar 17 |
| 2001 | Mar 28 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2004 | Mar 24 |
| 2005 | Apr 6 |
| 2006 | Mar 23 |
| 2007 | Mar 19 |
| 2008 | Mar 1 |
| 2013 | Mar 22 |
| 2014 | Mar 14 |
| 2015 | Apr 2 |
| 2016 | Mar 7 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Mar 17 |
| 2019 | Feb 10 |
| 2020 | Feb 23 |
| 2021 | Apr 2 |
| 2022 | Mar 14 |
| 2023 | Mar 9 |
| 2024 | Mar 20 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1967 | 210 |
| 1968 | 266 |
| 1970 | 251 |
| 1971 | 261 |
| 1972 | 227 |
| 1974 | 246 |
| 1975 | 249 |
| 1976 | 203 |
| 1977 | 230 |
| 1979 | 239 |
| 1980 | 245 |
| 1982 | 237 |
| 1985 | 249 |
| 1986 | 259 |
| 1987 | 240 |
| 1991 | 263 |
| 1992 | 236 |
| 1994 | 288 |
| 1995 | 243 |
| 1996 | 263 |
| 1997 | 245 |
| 2002 | 250 |
| 2004 | 265 |
| 2005 | 247 |
| 2006 | 256 |
| 2013 | 246 |
| 2014 | 245 |
| 2015 | 235 |
| 2016 | 277 |
| 2017 | 263 |
| 2018 | 256 |
| 2019 | 298 |
| 2020 | 304 |
| 2021 | 241 |
| 2022 | 274 |
| 2023 | 278 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1966 | 21.9 °C |
| 1967 | 21.2 °C |
| 1968 | 22.5 °C |
| 1969 | 22.7 °C |
| 1970 | 22.8 °C |
| 1971 | 22.1 °C |
| 1972 | 21.8 °C |
| 1973 | 22.8 °C |
| 1974 | 22.2 °C |
| 1975 | 22.1 °C |
| 1976 | 21.8 °C |
| 1977 | 23.4 °C |
| 1979 | 22.4 °C |
| 1982 | 23.2 °C |
| 1991 | 23.4 °C |
| 1992 | 21.6 °C |
| 1994 | 22.7 °C |
| 1995 | 22.8 °C |
| 1996 | 22.3 °C |
| 1997 | 21.6 °C |
| 2002 | 23.3 °C |
| 2004 | 23.4 °C |
| 2005 | 22.3 °C |
| 2006 | 22.8 °C |
| 2007 | 22.5 °C |
| 2013 | 21.9 °C |
| 2014 | 22.0 °C |
| 2015 | 22.5 °C |
| 2016 | 23.4 °C |
| 2017 | 22.8 °C |
| 2018 | 22.9 °C |
| 2019 | 23.5 °C |
| 2020 | 22.2 °C |
| 2021 | 23.5 °C |
| 2022 | 23.2 °C |
| 2023 | 22.7 °C |
| 2024 | 23.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1967, Wanchese's last spring frost has come about 4 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Manteo Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.