When to plant in Zebulon, NC
Planting dates worked out from Zebulon's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 13
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 2
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 6
1 year in 10 by Oct 26
Frost-free days
216
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Clayton Wtp · 24.4 km away · station 91 m, town 98 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 16 – Mar 2 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | Jun 7 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | Jun 12 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 29 – Feb 5 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 14 |
| Peas | — | Feb 19 – Mar 19 | Apr 15 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | May 26 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 12 – Apr 23 | May 11 |
| Beet | — | Mar 5 – Apr 16 | Apr 24 |
| Potato | — | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | May 21 |
| Kale | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 17 |
| Broccoli | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 5 – Mar 26 | May 4 |
| Cucumber | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | Jun 2 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | May 28 |
| Winter squash | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | Jul 2 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | Jun 5 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 5 – Mar 26 | Jun 3 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 23 – Nov 20 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 19 – Mar 19 | Mar 29 |
| Basil | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | Jun 9 |
Zebulon'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 |
|---|---|
| 1956 | Apr 8 |
| 1957 | Apr 16 |
| 1958 | Mar 21 |
| 1959 | Mar 29 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Mar 18 |
| 1962 | Apr 17 |
| 1963 | Mar 23 |
| 1964 | Apr 2 |
| 1966 | Mar 29 |
| 1967 | Mar 23 |
| 1968 | Mar 24 |
| 1969 | Mar 28 |
| 1970 | Mar 17 |
| 1971 | Mar 31 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1975 | Apr 13 |
| 1976 | Apr 13 |
| 1977 | Apr 7 |
| 1978 | Mar 18 |
| 1979 | Mar 18 |
| 1980 | Apr 17 |
| 1981 | Mar 25 |
| 1982 | Apr 10 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Mar 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 1 |
| 1988 | Mar 22 |
| 1990 | Apr 8 |
| 1991 | Mar 12 |
| 1998 | Mar 23 |
| 1999 | Mar 18 |
| 2000 | Apr 10 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 7 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | Mar 26 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 3 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Mar 30 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Mar 30 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Apr 8 |
| 2018 | Apr 8 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | Mar 1 |
| 2021 | Mar 9 |
| 2022 | Mar 14 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2025 | Mar 23 |
| 2026 | Mar 30 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1956 | 215 |
| 1957 | 194 |
| 1958 | 252 |
| 1959 | 233 |
| 1960 | 196 |
| 1961 | 221 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 221 |
| 1966 | 219 |
| 1967 | 226 |
| 1968 | 216 |
| 1969 | 209 |
| 1970 | 232 |
| 1971 | 221 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1973 | 186 |
| 1975 | 200 |
| 1977 | 193 |
| 1978 | 220 |
| 1979 | 222 |
| 1980 | 208 |
| 1981 | 208 |
| 1982 | 209 |
| 1985 | 236 |
| 1986 | 234 |
| 1987 | 203 |
| 1988 | 225 |
| 1990 | 224 |
| 1998 | 228 |
| 1999 | 230 |
| 2000 | 218 |
| 2002 | 224 |
| 2003 | 226 |
| 2004 | 215 |
| 2005 | 195 |
| 2006 | 196 |
| 2007 | 209 |
| 2008 | 218 |
| 2009 | 212 |
| 2010 | 223 |
| 2011 | 209 |
| 2012 | 203 |
| 2013 | 209 |
| 2014 | 199 |
| 2015 | 202 |
| 2016 | 216 |
| 2017 | 216 |
| 2018 | 216 |
| 2019 | 218 |
| 2020 | 276 |
| 2021 | 259 |
| 2022 | 248 |
| 2023 | 225 |
| 2025 | 232 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1956 | 22.1 °C |
| 1957 | 22.4 °C |
| 1958 | 22.2 °C |
| 1959 | 23.0 °C |
| 1960 | 22.4 °C |
| 1961 | 21.6 °C |
| 1962 | 22.0 °C |
| 1963 | 21.9 °C |
| 1964 | 22.1 °C |
| 1965 | 22.7 °C |
| 1966 | 22.2 °C |
| 1967 | 21.5 °C |
| 1968 | 22.7 °C |
| 1969 | 22.5 °C |
| 1970 | 23.2 °C |
| 1971 | 22.2 °C |
| 1972 | 21.4 °C |
| 1973 | 22.5 °C |
| 1975 | 22.1 °C |
| 1976 | 21.6 °C |
| 1977 | 23.4 °C |
| 1978 | 22.5 °C |
| 1979 | 21.8 °C |
| 1980 | 23.1 °C |
| 1981 | 22.7 °C |
| 1983 | 22.7 °C |
| 1985 | 22.8 °C |
| 1986 | 22.2 °C |
| 1988 | 23.3 °C |
| 1990 | 23.2 °C |
| 1998 | 22.9 °C |
| 1999 | 22.0 °C |
| 2000 | 21.4 °C |
| 2002 | 22.6 °C |
| 2003 | 21.3 °C |
| 2004 | 21.9 °C |
| 2005 | 22.0 °C |
| 2006 | 21.6 °C |
| 2007 | 22.2 °C |
| 2008 | 21.9 °C |
| 2009 | 21.9 °C |
| 2010 | 23.4 °C |
| 2011 | 22.9 °C |
| 2012 | 22.1 °C |
| 2013 | 21.2 °C |
| 2014 | 21.0 °C |
| 2015 | 22.2 °C |
| 2016 | 22.4 °C |
| 2017 | 22.5 °C |
| 2018 | 22.9 °C |
| 2019 | 23.0 °C |
| 2020 | 24.0 °C |
| 2021 | 23.3 °C |
| 2022 | 24.2 °C |
| 2025 | 22.9 °C |
| 2026 | 23.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1956, Zebulon's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. 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 Clayton Wtp (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.