Davis, NC planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 8b15 to 20 °F
- Last frost
- Mar 11avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 30avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 261days
Davis, North Carolina is in USDA plant hardiness zone 8b. Its average last spring frost is around March 11 and the first fall frost around November 30, giving a growing season of about 261 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.
Davis planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Davis'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 14 – Jan 28 | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | May 17 – Jun 6 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 – Jan 14 | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | May 24 – Jun 23 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 11 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | May 7 – May 27 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | May 2 – May 17 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | May 7 – May 17 | Oct 1 – Oct 11 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | May 10 – Jun 9 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 17 – May 2 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Mar 28 – Apr 12 | Sep 17 – Oct 2 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 24 – Apr 8 | Sep 7 – Sep 22 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 9 – Mar 19 | Sep 27 – Oct 7 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Feb 18 – Feb 25 | Apr 19 – May 9 | Aug 28 – Sep 17 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 14 – Jan 28 | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 7 – Apr 27 | Sep 2 – Sep 22 |
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 USC00311606. 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 24 | Apr 9 | Nov 17 | Dec 2 | 237 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 11 | Mar 30 | Nov 30 | Dec 20 | 261 |
| 28°F | Feb 27 | Mar 19 | Dec 17 | Jan 14 | 294 |
| 24°F | Feb 5 | Mar 4 | Jan 5 | Feb 3 | 328 |
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) | 6,382 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 9,764 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 8b
Davis sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 8b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 15 to 20 °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 8b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Davis?
- Davis, North Carolina is in USDA plant hardiness zone 8b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 15 to 20 °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 Davis?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around March 11, 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 30, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Davis?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 30. That leaves a growing season of about 261 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Davis?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 14 – Jan 28 and transplant them outside about Mar 18 – Mar 25, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around May 17 – Jun 6.
- How long is the growing season in Davis?
- About 261 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~March 11) and the average first fall frost (~November 30). 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 USC00311606 (Cedar Is, 10 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.