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What to Plant Outdoors in North Carolina

If you live in North Carolina and want to plant a vegetable garden, you may be wondering exactly what you can plant and when. This guide can help you determine your options based on the seasons and your USDA hardiness zone.

USDA Hardiness Zones

The first thing to consider before you plant a garden in any place in the United States is your hardiness zone. There's a set of zones designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that help you determine which plants and vegetables can thrive in your area based on the typical temperature and climate. The hardiness zones also help you determine when is the best time to plant specific flowers and vegetables outdoors.

Because North Carolina is such a big state, many regions fall into different hardiness zones, ranging from zone 5 through zone 8b. For example, cities towards the south and along the coast, like Charlotte and Wilmington, have longer warmer seasons than those towards the north, like High Point and Winston-Salem. To better understand your zone, visit the USDA website and put in your ZIP code or use the interactive map.

Spring and Fall

Because most of North Carolina sees similar mild temperatures in both spring and winter, you can actually plant most of the same things for both seasons, providing you with somewhat of an extra growing season. Plants that can do well include leafy greens like kale, lettuce, spinach and collards. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and many herbs also grow well in cooler temperatures experienced in early spring and fall in North Carolina. As a matter of fact, if it gets too hot during these seasons, these plants may bolt and stop producing.

Summer

Once the threat of frost has passed in mid to late spring, you can plant vegetables that are more tender and that prefer warmer temperatures, like corn, cucumbers, squash, melons, peppers and tomatoes. Like your hardiness zone, where you live will play a role in when your last frost date is. For example, in Wilmington, there's very little chance of frost after the end of March, but in Winston-Salem, you may see frost as late as April. Frost can damage tender plants, which need warmer soil in which to grow.

Winter

While winter isn't usually thought of as a time for outdoor planting, there are some cold-tolerant vegetables that can survive and even thrive in places where winters are mild. If you live in some of the southern and coastal cities in North Carolina, you may be able to grow leafy greens, like kale and lettuce, throughout the winter. Some cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and cabbage, can also survive mild winters.

More Tips

Before you plant, know your hardiness zone and when your first and last frost dates typically are each year. The average city in North Carolina has 175 days between first and last frost, so that's ample time to grow a bountiful garden, notes Urban Farmer. Depending on how long it takes your chosen vegetable to grow, you may also sow its seeds indoors or in a greenhouse to protect it from the cold. You can then transplant it outdoors once the threat of frost has passed. Your seed packets should give you an idea of how many days each vegetable needs to grow before you can harvest it.