When to Start Pepper Seed in North Carolina
In the Piedmont around Charlotte, start pepper seed indoors between mid-January and early February.
Gardening in North Carolina
Everything we have worked out for North Carolina: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Charlotte, the last spring freeze runs March 23 to April 5 and the first fall freeze runs October 30 to November 8, USDA zones 5b-8b, 4,943 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 21.8 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in North Carolina: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in North Carolina
Pepper flowers stop setting fruit when nights drop below 55 F or when days climb above 90 F, and both edges matter in North Carolina.
When to Plant Potatoes in North Carolina: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
Fourteen to twenty-one days before your last frost date is the answer, and for Charlotte, the Piedmont’s reference station, that last frost falls…
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in North Carolina
Dig potatoes in the Piedmont before the first fall frost, which arrives between October 30 and November 8 most years.
Potato Varieties That Suit North Carolina
North Carolina’s growing window for potatoes is short and hot, which means the “right” variety is really a season class, not a brand name.
What to Plant in North Carolina in September
September in the North Carolina Piedmont means the fall garden window is wide open.
What to Plant in North Carolina in October
October is one of the busiest planting months in North Carolina’s Piedmont, not one of the leanest.
What to Plant in North Carolina in November
By November, the Piedmont has already crossed into frost territory or is about to.
What to Plant in North Carolina in May
By May, Charlotte-area Piedmont gardens sit weeks past the last frost window (March 23 to April 5), which makes this the single biggest planting month of…
What to Plant in North Carolina in March
Peas, spinach, lettuce, kale, radishes, turnips and onion sets can go into North Carolina soil in March, along with potatoes once the ground is workable.