Frost Report

All states South Carolina

Frost dates for Irmo, 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

April 10

typical year

Safe to plant

April 23

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 28

typical year

Growing season

201 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 13 – 27 –
Spinach – Feb 27 – Mar 20 Sep 2 – 16
Lettuce – Mar 13 – Apr 3 Sep 2 – 16
Radishes – Mar 13 – Apr 24 Sep 16 – 30
Onions – Mar 13 – 27 –
Potatoes – Mar 20 – Apr 3 –
Carrots – Mar 20 – Apr 10 Aug 5 – 19
Beets – Mar 13 – 27 Aug 19 – Sep 2
Kale Jan 30 – Feb 13 Mar 13 – 27 Aug 19 – Sep 2
Broccoli Jan 30 – Feb 13 Mar 27 – Apr 10 Aug 19 – Sep 2
Cabbage Jan 16 – 30 Mar 13 – 27 Aug 19 – Sep 2
Garlic – – Sep 16 – Oct 7
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 26 – Mar 12 Apr 23 – May 7 –
Peppers Feb 19 – Mar 5 Apr 30 – May 14 –
Cucumbers – Apr 23 – May 14 –
Zucchini – Apr 23 – May 21 –
Pumpkins – Apr 23 – May 14 –
Green beans – Apr 23 – Aug 19 –
Sweet corn – Apr 23 – May 21 –
Basil Mar 19 – Apr 2 Apr 30 – May 7 –

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 23April 10March 27
Fall frost before October 15October 28November 8

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 31 (April 14 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 5.

Towns that use these dates

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

Irmo, Blythewood

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station CEDAR CREEK 2E, SC US (USC00381479), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 2 zip codes, all within 9 miles:

29016, 29063

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