Chapel Hill, NC planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 7b5 to 10 °F
- Last frost
- Mar 31avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 3avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 218days
Chapel Hill, North Carolina is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7b. Its average last spring frost is around March 31 and the first fall frost around November 3, giving a growing season of about 218 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.
Chapel Hill planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Chapel Hill'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 | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | Jun 6 – Jun 26 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | Jun 13 – Jul 13 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 3 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 27 – Jun 16 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 22 – Jun 6 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 27 – Jun 6 | Sep 4 – Sep 14 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 30 – Jun 29 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 7 – May 22 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 17 – May 2 | Aug 21 – Sep 5 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 13 – Apr 28 | Aug 11 – Aug 26 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Mar 29 – Apr 8 | Aug 31 – Sep 10 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 10 – Mar 17 | May 9 – May 29 | Aug 1 – Aug 21 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 27 – May 17 | Aug 6 – Aug 26 |
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 USC00311677. 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 | Apr 14 | Apr 30 | Oct 26 | Nov 6 | 195 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 31 | Apr 14 | Nov 3 | Nov 19 | 218 |
| 28°F | Mar 19 | Apr 1 | Nov 14 | Dec 3 | 242 |
| 24°F | Mar 4 | Mar 24 | Dec 1 | Dec 30 | 272 |
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) | 4,671 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 7,518 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7b
Chapel Hill sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 7b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 5 to 10 °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 7b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Chapel Hill?
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 5 to 10 °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 Chapel Hill?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around March 31, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as April 14, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Chapel Hill?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 3. That leaves a growing season of about 218 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Chapel Hill?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Feb 3 – Feb 17 and transplant them outside about Apr 7 – Apr 14, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jun 6 – Jun 26.
- How long is the growing season in Chapel Hill?
- About 218 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~March 31) and the average first fall frost (~November 3). 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 USC00311677 (Chapel Hill 2 W, 2.5 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.