Frost dates North Carolina Winston-Salem

Frost dates in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Last spring frost Mar 26 First fall frost Nov 9 NOAA 1991-2020

The average last spring frost in Winston-Salem is Mar 26 and the average first fall frost is Nov 9, measured at WINSTON SALEM RYNLDS AP, about 3 miles from the city centre. Below: how sure those dates are, and what to start, sow and set out each week.

Average last spring frostMar 2632°F, 50% probability
Average first fall frostNov 932°F, 50% probability
Days between them228average frost-free season
How sure is that date? NOAA probability levels for a 32°F freeze
ProbabilityFreeze still comes after (spring)First freeze has come by (fall)
90%Mar 6Nov 26
50%Mar 26Nov 9
10%Apr 11Oct 28

Read it like this: in half of years the last 32°F freeze of spring comes after Mar 26, and in 1 year in 10 there is still a freeze after Apr 11. In 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives before Oct 28.

Measured at: WINSTON SALEM RYNLDS AP, NC (NOAA station USW00093807), about 3 miles away at 970 ft, 21 years of record in 1991-2020.

Other stations nearby, for comparison:

  • RURAL HALL, NC (NOAA station USC00317548), about 10 miles away at 960 ft, 18 years of record in 1991-2020: last spring frost Apr 6, first fall frost Oct 31
  • PIEDMONT TRIAD INTL AP, NC (NOAA station USW00013723), about 17 miles away at 890 ft, 30 years of record in 1991-2020: last spring frost Mar 30, first fall frost Nov 5

Seed-starting schedule for Winston-Salem, NC

Counted from a last frost date of Mar 26 (the average: a freeze comes later than this in half of years).

  1. Week of Dec 1814 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsLeekDec 18 to Jan 1
    • Start seeds indoorsOnionDec 18 to Jan 1
  2. Week of Dec 2513 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsParsleyDec 25 to Jan 1
  3. Week of Jan 112 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsCeleryJan 1 to Jan 15
    • Start seeds indoorsSpinachJan 1 to Jan 15
  4. Week of Jan 1510 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsBroccoliJan 15 to Jan 29
    • Start seeds indoorsBrussels sproutJan 15 to Jan 29
    • Start seeds indoorsCabbageJan 15 to Jan 29
    • Start seeds indoorsKaleJan 15 to Jan 29
    • Start seeds indoorsKohlrabiJan 15 to Jan 29
  5. Week of Jan 229 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsLettuceJan 22 to Jan 29
  6. Week of Jan 298 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsCauliflowerJan 29 to Feb 12
    • Start seeds indoorsEggplantJan 29 to Feb 12
    • Start seeds indoorsPepperJan 29 to Feb 12
    • Start seeds indoorsSwiss chardJan 29 to Feb 12
  7. Week of Feb 57 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsTomatoFeb 5 to Feb 19
  8. Week of Feb 126 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsBasilFeb 12 to Feb 26
    • Set transplants outSpinachFeb 12 to Mar 5
  9. Week of Feb 264 weeks before last frost
    • Sow seed outdoorsRadishFeb 26 to Mar 12
    • Sow seed outdoorsSwiss chardfrom Feb 26
    • Sow seed outdoorsTurnipFeb 26 to Mar 12
    • Set transplants outBroccoliFeb 26 to Mar 12
    • Set transplants outBrussels sproutFeb 26 to Mar 12
    • Set transplants outCabbagefrom Feb 26
    • Set transplants outKalefrom Feb 26
    • Set transplants outKohlrabifrom Feb 26
    • Set transplants outLeekfrom Feb 26
    • Set transplants outLettuceFeb 26 to Mar 5
    • Set transplants outOnionfrom Feb 26
  10. Week of Mar 53 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsCucumberMar 5 to Mar 12
    • Set transplants outParsleyMar 5 to Mar 12
  11. Week of Mar 122 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsMelonMar 12 to Mar 19
    • Start seeds indoorsPumpkinMar 12 to Mar 19
    • Start seeds indoorsSummer squashMar 12 to Mar 19
    • Start seeds indoorsWinter squashMar 12 to Mar 19
    • Start seeds indoorsZucchiniMar 12 to Mar 19
    • Plant seed potatoes outdoorsPotatoMar 12 to Mar 19
    • Set transplants outCauliflowerfrom Mar 12
    • Set transplants outSwiss chardfrom Mar 12
  12. Week of Mar 26Last frost week
    • Sow seed outdoorsBeanfrom Mar 26
    • Sow seed outdoorsParsnipfrom Mar 26
    • Set transplants outCeleryfrom Mar 26
  13. Week of Apr 21 week after last frost
    • Plant slips outdoorsSweet potatoApr 2 to Apr 9
    • Set transplants outCucumberApr 2 to Apr 9
    • Set transplants outTomatoApr 2 to Apr 9
  14. Week of Apr 92 weeks after last frost
    • Set transplants outBasilfrom Apr 9
    • Set transplants outEggplantApr 9 to Apr 16
    • Set transplants outMelonfrom Apr 9
    • Set transplants outPepperfrom Apr 9
    • Set transplants outPumpkinfrom Apr 9
    • Set transplants outSummer squashfrom Apr 9
    • Set transplants outWinter squashfrom Apr 9
    • Set transplants outZucchinifrom Apr 9

Not in the city centre? Look up your own ZIP code

More in North Carolina

Where the numbers come from

Sources and method

Frost dates. U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Annual/Seasonal Climate Normals (1991-2020), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (Palecki, Durre, Applequist, Arguez and Lawrimore, 2021). These are 30-year station statistics for 1991 to 2020. "Frost" here means an air temperature of 32°F or lower at the station. We use 6,539 stations that have at least 10 years of record and a published date; 176 more are stations where a freeze is too rare for NOAA to date, and 180 are stations cold enough to have frost risk all year.

Probability level. The headline dates are NOAA's 50% level: in half of years the last spring freeze comes later than that date, and in half of years the first fall freeze comes earlier. The 10% and 90% levels are shown next to them. For tender plants, the 10% spring date is the safer one to plan from: a freeze follows it in only 1 year in 10.

Which station. Your ZIP code is matched to the nearest of those stations by straight-line distance from the ZIP code's centre point (GeoNames, geonames.org, CC BY 4.0; 40,979 ZIP codes in the 50 states and DC). Nearest is not always most alike: a station on a hill, in a valley or by the water can differ from your garden by a week or more. That is why the station's name, distance and elevation are shown with every result, along with two more stations nearby. NOAA makes the same point: the normals are limited between stations as distance grows horizontally and vertically.

Seed-starting offsets. Growing Vegetables: When to Plant Your Vegetable Garden, a fact sheet from University of New Hampshire Extension. It gives each crop's weeks from seed to transplant and when it is safe to set out or sow relative to the last frost. The method is theirs too: take the planting date and count back the seed-to-transplant weeks. Where the fact sheet gives a range of planting dates, the start-indoors dates count back from the earliest one. The figures used, as the fact sheet states them:

  • Basil: Seed to transplant 6-8 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Bean: Plant seed in garden after last frost.
  • Broccoli: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 2-4 weeks before last frost.
  • Brussels sprout: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 2-4 weeks before last frost.
  • Cabbage: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Cauliflower: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 2 weeks before last frost.
  • Celery: Seed to transplant 10-12 weeks; set out after last frost.
  • Cucumber: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 1-2 weeks after last frost.
  • Eggplant: Seed to transplant 8-10 weeks; set out 2-3 weeks after last frost.
  • Kale: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Kohlrabi: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Leek: Seed to transplant 8-10 weeks; set out 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Lettuce: Seed to transplant 4-5 weeks; set out 3-4 weeks before last frost.
  • Melon: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Onion: Seed to transplant 8-10 weeks; set out 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Parsley: Seed to transplant 9-10 weeks; set out 2-3 weeks before last frost.
  • Parsnip: Plant seed in garden after last frost.
  • Pepper: Seed to transplant 8-10 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Potato: Plant seed potatoes in garden 1-2 weeks before last frost.
  • Pumpkin: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Radish: Plant seed in garden 2-4 weeks before last frost.
  • Spinach: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 3-6 weeks before last frost.
  • Summer squash: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Sweet potato: Plant slips in garden 1-2 weeks after last frost.
  • Swiss chard: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 2 weeks before last frost; or plant seed in garden 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Tomato: Seed to transplant 6-8 weeks; set out 1-2 weeks after last frost.
  • Turnip: Plant seed in garden 2-4 weeks before last frost.
  • Winter squash: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Zucchini: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.

Not on the calendar. The same fact sheet times these by soil temperature, not by frost date, so they get no date here:

  • Pea: as soon as the soil thaws.
  • Beet: when the soil warms to 45°F.
  • Carrot: when the soil warms to 60°F.
  • Corn: when the soil warms to 60°F.
  • Cucumber, pumpkin, summer squash, winter squash, zucchini: direct-sow when the soil warms to 70°F.

Rutabaga is left out: the fact sheet gives it New Hampshire calendar dates, not a frost offset.

The fact sheet was written for New Hampshire. The offsets are relative to the last frost, so they carry to other places with a spring frost, but where winters are mild many cool-season crops are grown in fall and winter instead. Your state's extension service has the local calendar. Dates are 30-year statistics, not a forecast: check the forecast before setting tender plants out.

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