Asheville, NC · zone 7a · ~208 frost-free days
When to plant in Asheville: frost dates and zone 7a.
In Asheville, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 6 and the first fall frost around Oct 31, giving you about 208 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Asheville, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 2 to May 2 | Apr 13 to Jun 13 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Feb 27 to Apr 13 | Aug 17 to Oct 16 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 27 to Apr 1 | Aug 5 to Aug 31 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 6 to May 27 | Jul 17 to Aug 19 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 13 to Jul 13 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 11 to May 2 | Apr 22 to Jun 13 | — |
| Kale | Jan 16 to Feb 13 | Feb 27 to Mar 27 | Jul 31 to Sep 15 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 13 to Mar 27 | Aug 17 to Oct 5 |
Asheville sits in Zone 7a, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Asheville garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 28801 in about 60 seconds.
Asheville planting questions
What planting zone is Asheville, NC?+
Asheville is in USDA hardiness zone 7a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 7a here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Asheville?+
The typical last spring frost in Asheville, NC is around Apr 6. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Asheville?+
The typical first fall frost in Asheville, NC arrives around Oct 31, closing a growing season of roughly 208 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Asheville?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Apr 6. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.