State × crop calendar
Potatoes planting in North Carolina.
- Primary crop
- Zone 7b
- 205-day season
- Last frost April 5
- Vegetable
- Semi-Hardy
Potatoes planting in North Carolina is shaped by the state's 7b dominant hardiness zone, last frost date around April 5, and a 205-day growing season. Potatoes is widely grown in North Carolina — commercially significant or common in home gardens and food plots.
Planting dates on this page are climatological estimates from USDA frost-date norms and zone-typical planting offsets. Verify against NC State Extension for variety- and county-specific guidance.
Planting calendar — 2026
Frost-anchored windows.
Potatoes · North Carolina · planting calendar
Planting windows shift earlier in southern parts of the state and later in northern parts. Use last frost date in your specific county as the reference.
Planting windows
Earliest → ideal → latest.
Spring planting
PotatoesEarliest
March 15
Ideal start
March 22
Ideal end
April 12
Latest
April 26
Soil-temp trigger
Plant when soil reaches 45°F at 4-inch depth — often 2-4 weeks before last frost. Cool-season crop.Fall planting
PotatoesEarliest
August 1
Ideal start
August 16
Ideal end
August 31
Latest
September 15
Soil-temp trigger
Plant when soil reaches 45°F at 4-inch depth — often 2-4 weeks before last frost. Cool-season crop.Harvest window
Typical start
May 31
Typical end
July 10
Harvest timing varies with planting date and seasonal weather — these dates are typical for the ideal planting window.
Growing notes
Potatoes grows well in North Carolina's typical climate. North Carolina's 205-day growing season and 7b hardiness zone support reliable production with appropriate variety selection.
Potatoes is widely grown in North Carolina — commercially significant or common in home gardens and food plots.
Agronomy reference
Potatoes fundamentals.
Soil-temp minimum
45°F
Soil-temp optimum
50–70°F
Days to maturity
70–110
Water (in/wk)
1–1.5"
Soil pH
5–6.5
Nitrogen demand
moderate
Cool season — plant 2-4 weeks before last frost. Fall potato crop is possible in southern states.
Common pests to watch
- Colorado potato beetle
- Wireworms
- Aphids
Pest pressure varies by region and year. Confirm current outbreaks with NC State Extension.
Common diseases
- Late blight
- Early blight
- Scab
Resistance varieties shift each year. Check the current variety trial report for your state.
Variety selection
Potatoes varieties for North Carolina live with your extension.
Variety selection
Variety performance is micro-regional and changes with each year's trial cycle. We don't republish variety lists — instead, we point directly at the source.
NC State Extension →Search the extension site for “potatoes variety trial” or “recommended potatoes varieties” to find the current report.
Yield varies significantly by variety, soil, fertility, and management. Consult your state extension service for variety performance trials in your region.
Potatoes timing. Live alerts.
Bield Farm ties weather and soil-temperature stations in your county to crop planting thresholds — get notified the day soil temp clears your target window.
Start free trial →