Frost Report

All states South Carolina

Frost dates for Hartsville, SC

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

March 30

typical year

Safe to plant

April 13

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 6

typical year

Growing season

224 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Mar 2 – 16 –
Spinach – Feb 16 – Mar 9 Sep 11 – 25
Lettuce – Mar 2 – 23 Sep 11 – 25
Radishes – Mar 2 – Apr 13 Sep 25 – Oct 9
Onions – Mar 2 – 16 –
Potatoes – Mar 9 – 23 –
Carrots – Mar 9 – 30 Aug 14 – 28
Beets – Mar 2 – 16 Aug 28 – Sep 11
Kale Jan 19 – Feb 2 Mar 2 – 16 Aug 28 – Sep 11
Broccoli Jan 19 – Feb 2 Mar 16 – 30 Aug 28 – Sep 11
Cabbage Jan 5 – 19 Mar 2 – 16 Aug 28 – Sep 11
Garlic – – Sep 25 – Oct 16
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 16 – Mar 2 Apr 13 – 27 –
Peppers Feb 9 – 23 Apr 20 – May 4 –
Cucumbers – Apr 13 – May 4 –
Zucchini – Apr 13 – May 11 –
Pumpkins – Apr 13 – May 4 –
Green beans – Apr 13 – Aug 28 –
Sweet corn – Apr 13 – May 11 –
Basil Mar 9 – 23 Apr 20 – 27 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after April 13March 30March 11
Fall frost before October 26November 6November 23

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around March 16 (April 2 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 18.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 2 towns.

Hartsville, McBee

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station HARTSVILLE, SC US (USC00383990), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 4 zip codes, all within 13 miles:

29079, 29101, 29550, 29593

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.