USDA zone 7b in North Carolina
USDA plant hardiness zone 7b covers 45 locations across North Carolina (average annual extreme minimum 5 to 10 °F): Advance, NC, Asheville, NC, Asheville, NC, Boone, NC, Bostic, NC, Bryson, NC, and 39 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges March 26 (Winston-Salem) to May 16 (Old Fort), and growing seasons run 140–231 days (Old Fort to Saluda) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every North Carolina location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Bostic, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 7b5 to 10 °F
- Last frost range
- Mar 26–May 16avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Oct 4–Nov 12avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 140–231days
Locations in this group
Every location below shares this zone and a nearby weather station, but keeps its own frost dates — find your town for its own numbers, or use the ZIP planner on the home page for an instant personalized answer.
| Location | Also covers | Nearest station | Last frost | First frost | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advance | Yadkin College | Lexington | Apr 11 | Oct 28 | 199 |
| Asheville | Woodfin | Asheville | Apr 6 | Oct 31 | 205 |
| Asheville | — | Bent Creek | Apr 26 | Oct 18 | 175 |
| Boone | — | Boone 1 Se | May 2 | Oct 13 | 163 |
| Bostic * | — | Shelby 2 Nw | Apr 12 | Oct 25 | 195 |
| Bryson | — | Cherokee | Apr 17 | Oct 21 | 186 |
| Cashiers | Rosman | Lake Toxaway 2 Sw | Apr 15 | Oct 26 | 193 |
| Chapel Hill | — | Chapel Hill 2 W | Mar 31 | Nov 3 | 218 |
| Chimney Rock | — | Swannanoa 2 Sse | Apr 22 | Oct 24 | 184 |
| Chimney Rock | — | Lake Lure 2 | Apr 5 | Oct 30 | 207 |
| Eden | Sandy Level, Ruffin, Stoneville | Reidsville 2 Nw | Apr 5 | Nov 2 | 213 |
| Edneyville | Dana, East Flat Rock | Hendersonville 1 Ne | Apr 14 | Oct 25 | 192 |
| Elkin | Jonesville | Elkin | Apr 15 | Oct 26 | 194 |
| Etowah | Valley Hill | Pisgah Forest 3 Ne | Apr 19 | Oct 23 | 186 |
| Franklin | — | Franklin | Apr 17 | Oct 23 | 187 |
| Granite Quarry | Faith | Salisbury | Apr 6 | Oct 30 | 208 |
| Greensboro | — | Piedmont Triad Intl Ap | Mar 30 | Nov 5 | 220 |
| Gulf | — | Sanford 8 Ne | Apr 10 | Oct 30 | 203 |
| Hays | Mulberry, Millers Creek | Transou | May 4 | Oct 10 | 158 |
| Henderson | Stovall, Norlina, Middleburg | Henderson 2 Nnw | Apr 16 | Oct 26 | 193 |
| Hoopers Creek | Mountain Home | Asheville Rgnl Ap | Apr 9 | Oct 28 | 201 |
| King | Madison, Mayodan, Walnut Cove, Pilot Mountain, Germanton, Danbury | Danbury | Apr 11 | Oct 30 | 202 |
| Kittrell | — | Louisburg | Apr 11 | Oct 29 | 201 |
| Landis | Rockwell | Concord | Apr 1 | Nov 2 | 215 |
| Lenoir | — | Lenoir | Apr 7 | Oct 31 | 207 |
| Lewisville | Tobaccoville, Pinnacle, Yadkinville, Jonesville, Smithtown, East Bend, +2 more | Yadkinville 6 E | Apr 16 | Oct 25 | 191 |
| Linville | — | Grandfather Mtn | May 5 | Oct 13 | 160 |
| Marion | Nebo, Glenwood | Marion | Apr 5 | Nov 1 | 209 |
| Mills River | Avery Creek | Fletcher 3 W | Apr 18 | Oct 21 | 186 |
| Mocksville | — | Mocksville 5se | Apr 15 | Oct 25 | 192 |
| Moravian Falls | Millers Creek | W Kerr Scott Resv | Apr 7 | Nov 1 | 208 |
| Mount Airy | Cana, Elkin, White Plains, Flat Rock, Pleasant Hill, Pilot Mountain, +2 more | Mt Airy 2 W | Apr 19 | Oct 23 | 186 |
| Old Fort | — | Mt Mitchell | May 16 | Oct 4 | 140 |
| Oxford | — | Oxford Ag | Mar 30 | Nov 6 | 222 |
| Rosman | — | Brevard | Apr 21 | Oct 23 | 185 |
| Roxboro | Rougemont, Virgilina, Milton | Roxboro 7 Ese | Apr 15 | Oct 26 | 194 |
| Salisbury | Landis, Cleveland, Cooleemee | Salisbury 9 Wnw | Apr 9 | Oct 28 | 203 |
| Saluda | — | Tryon | Mar 27 | Nov 12 | 231 |
| Statesville | Harmony | Statesville 2 Nne | Apr 16 | Oct 25 | 191 |
| Valdese | Glen Alpine, Drexel | Morganton | Apr 7 | Oct 28 | 202 |
| Weaverville | — | Marshall | Apr 28 | Oct 18 | 173 |
| Webster | Dillsboro | Cullowhee | Apr 19 | Oct 22 | 184 |
| Wilkesboro | Hays, Mulberry, Ronda, Love Valley | N Wilkesboro | Apr 10 | Oct 29 | 201 |
| Winston-Salem | Clemmons, Rural Hall | Winston Salem Rynlds Ap | Mar 26 | Nov 9 | 228 |
| Yanceyville | — | Yanceyville 4 Se | Mar 31 | Nov 4 | 218 |
* Bostic is this group's median-season location — the calendar below is computed from its data.
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.
Planting calendar (Bostic, representative)
Computed from Bostic's average frost dates — the median-season location in this North Carolinazone 7b group. 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 — your own location's dates may run a week or two earlier or later (see the table above).
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting | Season fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | Jun 18 – Jul 8 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Apr 26 – May 3 | Jun 25 – Jul 25 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | Jun 8 – Jun 28 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | Jun 3 – Jun 18 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | Jun 8 – Jun 18 | Aug 26 – Sep 5 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 11 – Jul 11 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 19 – Jun 3 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 29 – May 14 | Aug 12 – Aug 27 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 25 – May 10 | Aug 2 – Aug 17 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 10 – Apr 20 | Aug 22 – Sep 1 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | May 21 – Jun 10 | Jul 23 – Aug 12 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | May 9 – May 29 | Jul 28 – Aug 17 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Bostic's own 195-day growing season (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020 median) against each crop's real days-to-maturity range: 12 of 12 crops mature here with comfortable margin. A different location in the table above with a longer or shorter season will get a different mix — the ZIP planner on the home page gives your own.
Frost & freeze dates (Bostic)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00317845. 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 — 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 25 | May 11 | Oct 16 | Oct 28 | 174 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 12 | Apr 28 | Oct 25 | Nov 5 | 195 |
| 28°F | Mar 31 | Apr 16 | Nov 2 | Nov 18 | 217 |
| 24°F | Mar 17 | Apr 2 | Nov 15 | Dec 2 | 242 |
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. This group's median GDD (base 50°F) across all 45 locations is 4,103; Bostic's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 4,472 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 7,308 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7b in North Carolina
Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 5 to 10 °F on the USDA's 2023 map — the number that 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. North Carolina spans 6 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all North Carolina locations for the full range, including zones6b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9a.
Explore zone 7b in other states at zone 7b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 7b mean in North Carolina?
- Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 5 to 10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 45 locations in North Carolina fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- Where in North Carolina's zone 7b is the growing season longest?
- Saluda runs the longest season on this page at about 231 days; Old Fort is shortest at about 140 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.
- When should I plant tomatoes in North Carolina's zone 7b?
- Using Bostic's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Feb 15 – Mar 1, then transplant outside about Apr 19 – Apr 26. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.
- Does every location in North Carolina's zone 7b have the same frost dates?
- No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 45 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one reading per location's own nearest station (see the table above). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to each 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.