Franklin, NC 28734 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Franklin, NC?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/30, about 245 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/15, about 167 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 Franklin, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Franklin before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/13 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Franklin compares
About 167 days separate Franklin's last and first frost, putting it 29,963 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NC, it ranks 1,035 of 1,078.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Franklin's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Franklin's dates instead of trusting one.