Seed Starting Calendar for North Carolina

Count back from the median last frost where you garden. At Charlotte (Charlotte Douglas Airport) that date is March 30, so for spring 2027 onions start indoors Dec 22 to Jan 5, peppers Feb 2 to Feb 16 and tomatoes Feb 9 to Feb 23. Across North Carolina's 180 NOAA stations the median last frost runs from Mar 18 to Apr 28 for the middle 90 percent, so a garden near Mount Mitchell starts later than one near Ocracoke.

It depends on the station. The earliest median last spring freeze in North Carolina is March 1 at Ocracoke; the latest is May 16 at Mount Mitchell. A median is a coin flip: at Charlotte the last 32°F freeze comes after March 30 in half of years, and has passed by April 14 in 9 of 10 years (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals).

UNH Extension sets tomatoes out 1 to 2 weeks after the last frost, which at Charlotte is Apr 6 to Apr 13 in 2027. Tomatoes are frost tender, so the date to watch is April 14, when 9 of 10 springs at Charlotte have had their last 32°F night. Hardening off starts two weeks before setting out (Mar 23 to Apr 6).

NC State Extension (N.C. Cooperative Extension) publishes planting months by region (Central North Carolina). For Central North Carolina, tomatoes go in during April, May, June, July and August. Seeds for transplants go in 4 to 10 weeks ahead of those months, depending on the crop.

NC State Extension (N.C. Cooperative Extension)'s Central North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs puts it this way: "The dates in Table 1 are suggested guidelines and should provide the highest probability of success, but weather conditions vary from year to year and planting dates should be adjusted accordingly." The guide is linked below with the date it was read (September 21, 2026).

UNH Extension gives 8 to 10 weeks from seed to transplant for both, and sets peppers out 2 weeks after the last frost and eggplant 2 to 3 weeks after, so the sowing date is 6 to 8 weeks before the median last frost. At Charlotte that is Feb 2 to Feb 16 for peppers.

About two weeks. University of Missouri Extension: "Hardening should be started about two weeks before planting in the garden." University of Minnesota Extension adds that seedlings should go out on a cloudy day or in the late afternoon.

Wilmington on the coast reaches its median last frost around Mar 19, Charlotte and Raleigh Durham around Mar 30 to Mar 31, and Asheville in the mountains around Apr 6. Each station carries its own dates: Wilmington Mar 19 and Asheville Apr 6 at the median.