Tar Heel, NC 28399 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Tar Heel, NC?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/29, about 213 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/08, about 226 frost-free days later.
Tar Heel sits in USDA Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 10 weeks of growing season left in Tar Heel before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 03/29 isn't a guarantee
03/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Tar Heel compares
About 226 days separate Tar Heel's last and first frost, putting it 11,326 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NC, it ranks 412 of 1,078.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Tar Heel's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Tar Heel's dates instead of trusting one.