Milton, NC 24594 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Milton, NC?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/10, about 225 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/28, about 200 frost-free days later.
Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Milton, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Milton before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/10 isn't a guarantee
04/10 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/26 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/01 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Milton compares
Milton's growing season runs about 200 days, ranking 17,910 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NC, it ranks 890 of 1,078.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Milton's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Milton's dates instead of trusting one.