USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 28340 — Fairmont, North Carolina
Averages from Lumber Rvr Sp, Nc US, the nearest reporting station, 9.4 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 1, and expect the first autumn freeze around November 5. That leaves about 219 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 1
- First fall frost
- November 5
- Growing season
- 219 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
15 to 20°F annual low
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 12%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
2 of 17 observed
NOAA normal
When it snows in Fairmont, North Carolina
Measurable snow is rare here: only 2 of 17 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Lumberton, Nc US, 12 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
For a gardener, snow matters less than frost: a light snow on frozen ground changes nothing, while a hard frost on an unprotected bed ends the season. Use the frost dates above for planting and the snow dates for getting hoses drained, mulch down and tender pots indoors.
Planting calendar for 28340
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 21 – February 4 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 4 – February 18 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 4 – March 18 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 1 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 13 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 22 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 5 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after April 1 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Fairmont, North Carolina are past their last freeze. Harvest before November 5, which leaves roughly 219 frost-free days.
ZIP 28340 sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 15 to 20°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.