Yes — Strong Match
stock is grown as an annual, so season length decides it here, not a winter zone — and North Carolina's typical season runs ~245 frost-free days against the ~50 stock needs.
Sow by about Sep 3
Stock is grown as an annual, so what decides it here is season length, not a winter zone. It needs about 50 frost-free days and a typical North Carolina season runs ~245 frost-free days, leaving 195 days of slack. That is room to sow as late as about Sep 3 and still finish before the usual first freeze (Nov 17), or to run a second succession.
Want more weeks at either end of that window? How to buy the weeks →
50 frost-free days required against North Carolina’s ~245-day season. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS 1991-2020 (28°F killing freeze), state median across counties, via stateClimateData.ts.
Stock in North Carolina — the short answer
Stock in North Carolina: full sun, against a state median of ~245 frost-free days.
- 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
- 75 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.
Stock is grown as an annual, so your winter zone isn't the deciding factor — your frost-free window is. A typical North Carolina site runs ~245 frost-free days, but that is a state median, not your yard: slope, trees, and low spots move the last-frost date across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score stock against your land's actual frost dates, sun, and soil.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your full report in seconds
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 stock 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.
Zone Comparison
Stock Needs
- USDA Zones: Data pending
- Frost-Free Days: 50+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 2 ft tall
- Picking window: ~60 days of harvest
- 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
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 Stock 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 hardiness
Stock takes cold down to about 25°F before a freeze kills it (FAO ECOCROP), so you can plant on the early side of North Carolina's window — even a few weeks before the final hard freeze. 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.
When to start the seed
Those dates are when stock goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 6 weeks ahead, so counting back from North Carolina's late-side last freeze of Mar 24 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
Days to maturity vs. the window
At 75 days to maturity (Growable Ground Plant Database), counting from the last hard freeze it ripens with 156 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
Frost-free days
Stock wants 50+ 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
Stock needs ~600 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
Stock likes near-neutral soil (pH 6-7.5). That's the common-ground band across North Carolina's red clay (piedmont) and sandy loam (coastal) — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a North Carolina soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your North Carolina site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
SSURGO maps about 14.7% of North Carolina as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Stock has low drought tolerance, so it is the fast-draining end that will cost you — your soil map unit, not the state average, is the real answer.
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 Stock 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 stock here specifically
Stock likes pH 6.0–7.5 and its growing tissue burns around 25°F (FAO ECOCROP), yet neither saves it from wet feet — SSURGO maps about 14.7% of North Carolina poorly-drained, where its roots sit and rot.
Set stock high on bermed, grit-amended ground so winter and storm water drain away from the roots. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every North Carolina grower, not just stock — 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 stock to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Stock needs about 50 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 128 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 stock about 195 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"). Stock's 50-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Stock draws honeybees, butterflies, and moths (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, stock can only work that bloom inside North Carolina's frost window — roughly 245 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 11 - Mar 24) and closing at the first (Nov 10 - Nov 25), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Recommended Stock Varieties for North Carolina
North Carolina publishes no state variety trial for stock, so we won't invent a "best for North Carolina" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (6a-9a), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
For North Carolina-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for stock, the canonical source is NC State Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Stock native to North Carolina?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Stock as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of North Carolina's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few North Carolina natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The North Carolina growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Stock in North Carolina
When can I plant Stock 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). Stock takes cold to about 25°F before a freeze kills it (FAO ECOCROP — the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor), so plant on the early side of that window — even ahead of the final hard freeze.
Can Stock mature before first frost in North Carolina?
Yes — Stock matures in 75 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 156 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 Stock grown in across North Carolina?
North Carolina spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Stock carries a range of zones Data pending, 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). Stock needs 50+ 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.
Is Stock native to North Carolina?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Stock as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of North Carolina's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few North Carolina natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Stock in North Carolina?
Stock prefers pH 6-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (Growable Ground Plant Database). That sits in the common-ground band across North Carolina soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Stock actually grow on my specific land in North Carolina?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores stock 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 stock against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that North Carolina stock 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 stock average
Explore More
Growing guides for stock
Explore North Carolina county by county
North Carolina carries 100 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for stock there:
Where else stock grows
Stock'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
Last updated: