Buxton, NC planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9a20 to 25 °F
- Last frost
- Mar 4avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Dec 22avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 290days
Buxton, North Carolina is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a. Its average last spring frost is around March 4 and the first fall frost around December 22, giving a growing season of about 290 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Buxton planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Buxton's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Jan 7 – Jan 21 | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | May 10 – May 30 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 – Jan 7 | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | May 17 – Jun 16 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 4 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 30 – May 20 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 25 – May 10 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 30 – May 10 | Oct 23 – Nov 2 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | May 3 – Jun 2 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Mar 11 – Mar 18 | Apr 10 – Apr 25 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 21 – Apr 5 | Oct 9 – Oct 24 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Mar 17 – Apr 1 | Sep 29 – Oct 14 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Mar 2 – Mar 12 | Oct 19 – Oct 29 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Feb 11 – Feb 18 | Apr 12 – May 2 | Sep 19 – Oct 9 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 7 – Jan 21 | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 31 – Apr 20 | Sep 24 – Oct 14 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USW00093729. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 19 | Apr 4 | Dec 2 | Dec 27 | 260 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 4 | Mar 25 | Dec 22 | Jan 16 | 290 |
| 28°F | Feb 12 | Mar 11 | Jan 8 | Feb 5 | 320 |
| 24°F | Jan 31 | Feb 26 | Jan 18 | Feb 15 | 351 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 5,830 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 9,141 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9a
Buxton sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 20 to 25 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 9a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Buxton?
- Buxton, North Carolina is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 20 to 25 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Buxton?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around March 4, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as March 25, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Buxton?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around December 22. That leaves a growing season of about 290 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Buxton?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 7 – Jan 21 and transplant them outside about Mar 11 – Mar 18, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around May 10 – May 30.
- How long is the growing season in Buxton?
- About 290 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~March 4) and the average first fall frost (~December 22). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USW00093729 (Cape Hatteras Ap, 2.7 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.