Has central NC seen its last frost? Weather experts on when it’s safe to plant
Big Bloomers plant farm in Sanford was swamped on Wednesday, March 26, as spring temperatures sent gardeners in search of greenery. But weather experts say it might be best to hold off another couple of weeks before putting tender those young plants in the ground.
In fact, the National Weather Service issued a frost advisory for the region effective through Thursday morning, March 27.
Here’s some advice from different meteorologists on when central North Carolina will be safe from a late frost that could kill or damage young plants.
Corey Davis: Risk vs. Reward
Assistant State Climatologist Corey Davis said Wednesday it will feel like summer this weekend, with overnight lows barely dropping below 60 degrees. But don’t be fooled.
“It’s tempting to say we’re out of the woods,” Davis said, and take up a trowel to start popping plants into the ground. But while there haven’t been freezing temperatures in a few weeks — and for the past four years, the last frost has been in March — historically, Raleigh has had April frosts.
“So I think of this as that risk-versus-reward time of year,” Davis said. He used tomatoes as an example. Sure, you can put out tomatoes this weekend and, if there’s no frost, be the first one in your neighborhood to have homegrown tomatoes 10 or 11 weeks from now.
Or, those seedlings you’ve been nurturing could get killed by frost, forcing you to start over.
“Is it really worth it?” Davis asks. “If you wait until two weeks from now, you’ll have tomatoes by the 4th of July.”
Davis’ safe-to-plant date: April 7
Nick Petro: Dig for the data
Nick Petro, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Raleigh, says that in the Triangle, data shows that April 10 is typically the latest date for frost, so that’s when he feels safe to start his garden. It could be a few days later slightly to the west, Petro says, and a few days earlier just to the east.
Petro’s safe-to-plant date: April 10
Big Weather: Pay taxes, plant tomatoes
Don “Big Weather” Schwenneker, chief meteorologist for ABC11, says the average last-frost date for the Triangle is April 3. But he tells gardeners to wait a little longer, just to make sure.
“I tell people Tax Day,” Schwenneker said. That’s April 15. “You pay the government and Mother Nature pays you back.”
Big Weather’s safe-to-plant date: April 15
NCSU Cooperative Extension: By the book
The experts at N.C. State University Cooperative Extension Service don’t throw out a blanket plant-by date, saying one size does not fit all.
They’ve prepared a spreadsheet that accounts for differences between beets planted in central North Carolina and lima beans planted farther east.
The Extension Service also offers a guide for gardeners in central North Carolina and differentiates between planting seeds and setting transplants.
In central and Eastern North Carolina, tomatoes can go into the garden on April 15, based on historical last frosts.
NSCU cooperative Extension safe-to-plant date: April 15 (for tomatoes)
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Has central NC seen its last frost? Weather experts on when it’s safe to plant."
