Charlotte frost dates and planting season

Name: Charlotte
Address: North Carolina, United States

When to plant vegetables here. Cover calendars (fleece, cold frame, unheated greenhouse) are on each plant’s when-to-plant page.

Charlotte has a long growing season, with roughly 268 frost-free days between the typical frost dates. Typical last spring frost: around March 8 (half of years later). Typical first fall frost: around December 2. Plant cool-season crops after about February 9; wait until about April 13 for warm-season crops.

Frost-free days268Mar 8 – Dec 2

Frost-free season in Charlotte. Based on average frost dates. Adjust a week or two for your conditions.

Cover calendars (fleece, cold frame, unheated greenhouse) live on each crop’s when-to-plant page.

Weekly possible temperature13 – 100 °F

Frost-free days268

Typical last spring frostMarch 8

Typical first fall frostDecember 2

Days suitable for warm-season vegetables182 (April 13 – July 12; August 3 – November 1)

Days suitable for cool-season vegetables189 (February 9 – May 31; September 14 – November 29)

Calculated by Plan & Plant · Method · Data 2019–2026

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics. Microclimates vary; they are not a guarantee.

Frost dates calculated by Plan & Plant from Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Local frost pockets, valleys and coastal sites can differ by 1–3 weeks.

How we calculated this

Data: ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo, cell 35.23, -80.84, years 2019–2026 (not a 30-year climate normal yet).
Typical and safer dates: Typical last frost is the date after which half of winters in this sample had no more frost; safer is later in the sample so fewer winters still frosted.
Confidence: Provisional — short or thin sample for this place.
Full methodology (algorithm 2026-10-season-6).

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What to plant when

Cool-season vegetables

Earliest outdoor start: February 9

Suitable window: February 9 – May 31; September 14 – November 29

Cool-season crops prefer cooler weather.

Midsummer is often too hot, so suitable weeks split into more than one window.

See cool-season details

Warm-season vegetables

Earliest outdoor start: April 13

Suitable window: April 13 – July 12; August 3 – November 1

Warm-season crops need mild or warm weather and cannot take frost.

Frost kills these crops, and cold snaps set them back.

See warm-season details

Green = usually good weeks to grow; blue or gray = usually too cold for that crop type.

Starter plants for Charlotte

Cool-season

Radish Sow: January 25 – June 6; September 11 – October 13 Planting dates
Arugula Sow: January 25 – June 6; September 11 – September 30 Planting dates
Spinach Sow: January 25 – June 6 Planting dates
Lettuce Sow: January 25 – June 6 Planting dates
Kale Sow: January 25 – March 21 Planting dates
Beet Sow: February 8 – September 3 Planting dates

Warm-season

Zucchini Sow: May 11 – July 5 Planting dates
Cucumber Sow: May 11 – July 5 Planting dates
Green bean Sow: March 24 – August 25 Planting dates
Tomato Transplant: March 22 – May 16 Start indoors, then transplant. Planting dates
Bell pepper Transplant: May 11 – July 5 Start indoors, then transplant. Planting dates

How these dates are judged

Last frost: The typical last spring date when frost is still expected.
First frost: The typical first fall date when frost returns.
Frost-free days: The approximate days between those two dates.
Cool-season vegetables: Crops that prefer cooler weather, such as lettuce, kale, peas, and radish.
Warm-season vegetables: Crops that need warm weather and cannot take frost, such as tomato, pepper, squash, and beans.

Cool-season planting window

Feb 9 – May 31; Sep 14 – Nov 29 (189 days)

Warm-season planting window

Apr 13 – Jul 12; Aug 3 – Nov 1 (182 days)

Usually too cold

January 5 – February 8
November 30 – December 27

Weekly temperatures and planting windows

Temperatures across the year for Charlotte, with cool- and warm-season weeks and frost dates.

Possible min to max
Average min to max
Suitable
Tolerable
Too cold
Too hot

Selected week · tap a week or use the arrows

Week 7 · Feb 9 – Feb 15

Average 40 to 56 °F · Possible 26 to 73 °F

Cool season: tolerable

Warm season: too cold

A week is suitable for a crop type when its average low and high sit inside that type's range and its possible readings stay within the frost and heat limits (cool: 28 °F to 81 °F, warm: 32 °F to 90 °F); crossing a limit makes it tolerable, and for warm crops any chance of frost makes it too cold.

Based on average frost dates.

North Carolina, United States · 35.22709, -80.84313 · 2026

Coldest weekly possible temperature13 °F

Hottest weekly possible temperature100 °F

Last expected spring frostMarch 8

First expected fall frostDecember 2

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