Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
para grass (zones 10-13) does not overlap with North Carolina's zone range (6a-9a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
2 zones short — what would close it
Para Grass is hardy to zone 10, and the warmest ground in North Carolina is zone 8 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a North Carolina winter. To grow it here, grow para grass in an earth-sheltered greenhouse — its modeled 2.5-zone lift covers this gap.
An earth-sheltered greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 10-13 (plant) against 6-8 (North Carolina). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['earth_sheltered'] (+2.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Para Grass in North Carolina — the short answer
Para Grass in North Carolina: hardy in zones 10–13, full sun, against a state median of ~245 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 10-13
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- North Carolina zones
- 6a-9a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 11 - Mar 24 – Nov 10 - Nov 25
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 178 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 90 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
North Carolina spans zones 6a-9a, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score para grass against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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North Carolina is not one climate
A single North Carolina answer averages 100 counties whose growing seasons are 125 days apart — from 178 frost-free days in Swain County to 303 in Dare County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what para grass can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 100 counties runs 230–257 days, with a median of 245 days — a 125-day span end to end.
Measured across 100 North Carolina counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where Para Grass Stands in North Carolina
Para Grass is rated for zones 10–13 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. No North Carolina county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about North Carolina winters, not about para grass.
Below the zone 10 floor
100 counties
- Avery County · zone 6b
- Swain County · zone 6b
- Watauga County · zone 6b
3 of 100 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Zone Comparison
Para Grass Needs
- USDA Zones: 10-13
- Frost-Free Days: 120+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 5 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
North Carolina Has
- USDA Zones: 6a-9a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 11 - Mar 24
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 10 - Nov 25
- Annual Rainfall: 40-60 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Sandy loam (Coastal), Mountain loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 10-13)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Para Grass in North Carolina
The frost window
Across North Carolina, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 11 and Mar 24, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 10 and Nov 25 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 231-day window you can count on — up to 259 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Frost tenderness
Para Grass is frost-tender — FAO ECOCROP puts its killing temperature at 32°F — so set plants out two to three weeks PAST your local last hard freeze, not on it and not on the state's earliest date. The 28°F marker above is when killing freezes stop, not when light frost does. That is the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor — an established perennial comes through far colder while dormant, which is what its hardiness zone tells you.
Days to maturity vs. the window
At 90 days to maturity (Growable Ground Plant Database), counting from the last hard freeze it ripens with 141 days to spare even in North Carolina's tightest freeze scenario — room for a later start or a second sowing.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Swain County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says para grass does not survive a North Carolina winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on North Carolina under protection.
Frost-free days
Para Grass wants 120+ frost-free days; a typical North Carolina site sees ~245 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Para Grass needs ~3000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~4537 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so North Carolina's typical season clears that easily.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Para Grass tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.3-7.7) — 3.4 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in North Carolina. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5 and 6 — worth knowing before you decide whether a North Carolina soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage requirement: poorly (saturated >50% of year). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches.
Your land, not the state average
North Carolina's soils run mostly fine sandy loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Para Grass needs about 19 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how para grass performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. North Carolina soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Para Grass in North Carolina
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but North Carolina growers also need to think about:
Red Piedmont clay is hard to work and drains poorly
Humidity drives significant disease pressure
Hurricane risk on the coastal plain
Growing para grass here specifically
Para Grass wants pH 4.3–7.7 and rates to USDA zones 10–13, but North Carolina's soils are dominantly fine sandy loam — the fit is decided by your parcel's own map unit, not the state average.
Match para grass to your parcel's SSURGO map unit — test pH and texture, and amend toward its 4.3–7.7 range. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every North Carolina grower, not just para grass — is covered on the North Carolina growing guide.
Timing shifts within North Carolina
North Carolina isn't one climate. In Swain County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 27 — roughly 41 days later than the recorded state median — so plant para grass to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Para Grass needs about 120 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Swain County — North Carolina’s shortest season at 178 frost-free days — clears that by 58 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in North Carolina. What varies is your own parcel.
Across North Carolina’s 100 counties the frost-free season runs from 178 days in Swain County to 303 days in Dare County — a spread of 125 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median North Carolina county sees 245 frost-free days, leaving para grass about 125 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Para Grass's 120-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
For North Carolina-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for para grass, the canonical source is NC State Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Para Grass in North Carolina
When can I plant Para Grass in North Carolina?
North Carolina's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 11 and Mar 24, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 10 and Nov 25 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Para Grass is frost-tender — its killing temperature is 32°F (FAO ECOCROP — the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor) — so wait two to three weeks past your site's last hard freeze, when light frost has also stopped, before planting out.
Can Para Grass mature before first frost in North Carolina?
Yes — Para Grass matures in 90 days (Growable Ground Plant Database), and North Carolina's dependable hard-freeze-free window runs 231 days (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020), leaving 141 days of margin. Plant once the last hard freeze has passed — two to three weeks later for anything tender — and it ripens ahead of the first fall freeze.
What hardiness zone is Para Grass grown in across North Carolina?
North Carolina spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Para Grass carries a range of zones 10-13, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical North Carolina site have?
A typical North Carolina site sees ~245 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Para Grass needs 120+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Swain, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
How should I amend the soil for Para Grass in North Carolina?
Para Grass tolerates pH 4.3-7.7 and poorly (saturated >50% of year) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3.4-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a North Carolina site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Para Grass actually grow on my specific land in North Carolina?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores para grass against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in North Carolina
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores para grass against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that North Carolina para grass averages can't show:
We read public map data around North Carolina — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the North Carolina para grass average
Explore More
Growing guides for para grass
Explore North Carolina county by county
North Carolina carries 100 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for para grass there:
Where else para grass grows
Para Grass's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to North Carolina in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in North Carolina
North Carolina has a growing page for 1,020 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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