When to plant · 27 cities · zones 7b–8b

When to plant carrots in North Carolina

Direct sow nantes carrot around Mar 17 — the North Carolina statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Mar 31 across 853 ZIP codes and 185 NOAA stations.

Mar 17Direct sowMar 8 – Apr 5 across the state
Mar 31Last spring frostmedian · 1 in 10 years after Apr 16
May 26First harvest70 days from sow

The rule: Direct sow two weeks before the last frost and keep the top half-inch of soil damp for the 14–21 days it takes to germinate.

North Carolina carrots, by step

Statewide median last frost Mar 31, first fall frost Nov 4, 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.

CultivarStart indoorsSowFirst harvestDays
Nantes CarrotScarlet NantesDirect sowMar 17May 2670 from sow

Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost. Statewide dates are the ZIP-weighted median of every NOAA 1991–2020 station North Carolina's ZIP codes resolve to.

Carrots in North Carolina, city by city

Nantes Carrot, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.

CityLast frostSowFirst harvest
Charlottezone 8aMar 30Mar 16May 25
Raleighzone 8aMar 28Mar 14May 23
Greensborozone 8aApr 1Mar 18May 27
Durhamzone 8aApr 2Mar 19May 28
Winston-Salemzone 8aMar 26Mar 12May 21
Fayettevillezone 8aMar 30Mar 16May 25
Caryzone 8aMar 27Mar 13May 22
Wilmingtonzone 8bMar 19Mar 5May 14
High Pointzone 8aMar 30Mar 16May 25
Concordzone 8aApr 1Mar 18May 27
Greenvillezone 8aMar 27Mar 13May 22
Ashevillezone 7bApr 6Mar 23Jun 1
Gastoniazone 8aMar 27Mar 13May 22
Apexzone 8aApr 6Mar 23Jun 1
Jacksonvillezone 8bMar 23Mar 9May 18
Huntersvillezone 8aMar 30Mar 16May 25
Chapel Hillzone 8aMar 31Mar 17May 26
Burlingtonzone 8aApr 1Mar 18May 27
Kannapoliszone 8aApr 1Mar 18May 27
Wake Forestzone 8aApr 4Mar 21May 30
Rocky Mountzone 8aApr 1Mar 18May 27
Mooresvillezone 8aApr 9Mar 26Jun 4
Holly Springszone 8aMar 31Mar 17May 26
Wilsonzone 8aMar 22Mar 8May 17
Fuquay-Varinazone 8aApr 6Mar 23Jun 1
Hickoryzone 8aMar 31Mar 17May 26
Indian Trailzone 8aMar 31Mar 17May 26

What North Carolina carrots need

SeedsThe cultivar decides the sauce. Everything downstream is damage control.
  • Scarlet Nantes Carrot Seed

    The carrot that makes a fermented habanero sauce work. It brings sweetness and body so the sauce has texture without thickener and heat without being one-dimensional.

StartSoil temperature and light intensity, indoors, weeks before your frost date.
  • Organic Seed Starter Potting MixMust have

    Seed-starting mix is not potting soil with a nicer label — it is finer, lighter, and low in nutrients on purpose, because a seedling's first roots want air and moisture, not fertiliser.

GrowRoot volume, nutrition and structure. Where most home crops actually fail.
  • Ocean Forest Potting SoilMust have

    Pre-charged with enough nutrition to carry a transplant for its first month without feeding, which is exactly the window when most container plants stall.

  • 5-Gallon Fabric Grow Bags, 5-Pack

    Fabric pots air-prune roots and drain faster than a plastic pot can, which is the entire reason container tomatoes fail. Five gallons is the honest minimum for a pepper; a tomato wants ten.

  • Rapitest Soil Test Kit

    In-ground growers are guessing until they test. pH outside 6.0–6.8 locks nutrients out no matter how much fertiliser you add, and no amount of feeding fixes that.

  • 3-in-1 Soil Moisture / Light / pH Tester

    Used for one thing — is the root zone actually dry six inches down — it prevents both halves of the most common container failure. Ignore the pH scale on it entirely.

HarvestTiming, handling, and weighing what you actually got.
  • Garden Harvest Basket with Tool Caddy

    A harvest basket that doubles as a colander means the hose rinse happens in the garden, and the dirt stays outside. On a 20-pound tomato day that is a genuine time saving.

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Carrots in North Carolina: questions

When should I plant carrots in North Carolina?

Direct sow around Mar 17 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Mar 8 in the warmest tenth of North Carolina's ZIP codes to Apr 5 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Apr 16 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.

When is the last frost in North Carolina?

The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Mar 31. In the warmest tenth of North Carolina's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Mar 22; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 19.

When will North Carolina carrots be ready to harvest?

Nantes Carrot planted on the statewide date is ready around May 26: 70 days from sow.

More for North Carolina

Carrots in every state → · North Carolina frost dates → · How frost-date math works →