Swansboro, NC 28539 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Swansboro, NC?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/23, about 207 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/16, about 240 frost-free days later.
Zone 8b (15 to 20°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 Swansboro, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 11 weeks of growing season left in Swansboro before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 03/23 isn't a guarantee
03/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Swansboro compares
Swansboro's growing season runs about 240 days, ranking 8,694 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NC, it ranks 79 of 1,078.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Swansboro's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Swansboro's dates instead of trusting one.