Frost Report

All states South Carolina

Frost dates for Rock Hill, 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 27

typical year

Safe to plant

April 11

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 5

typical year

Growing season

225 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 – Feb 27 – Mar 13 –
Spinach – Feb 13 – Mar 6 Sep 10 – 24
Lettuce – Feb 27 – Mar 20 Sep 10 – 24
Radishes – Feb 27 – Apr 10 Sep 24 – Oct 8
Onions – Feb 27 – Mar 13 –
Potatoes – Mar 6 – 20 –
Carrots – Mar 6 – 27 Aug 13 – 27
Beets – Feb 27 – Mar 13 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Kale Jan 16 – 30 Feb 27 – Mar 13 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Broccoli Jan 16 – 30 Mar 13 – 27 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Cabbage Jan 2 – 16 Feb 27 – Mar 13 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Garlic – – Sep 24 – Oct 15
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 14 – 28 Apr 11 – 25 –
Peppers Feb 7 – 21 Apr 18 – May 2 –
Cucumbers – Apr 11 – May 2 –
Zucchini – Apr 11 – May 9 –
Pumpkins – Apr 11 – May 2 –
Green beans – Apr 11 – Aug 27 –
Sweet corn – Apr 11 – May 9 –
Basil Mar 7 – 21 Apr 18 – 25 –

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 11March 27March 10
Fall frost before October 24November 5November 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 15 (March 31 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 3 towns.

Rock Hill, Lancaster, Van Wyck

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station WINTHROP UNIV, SC US (USC00389350), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 6 zip codes, all within 11 miles:

29704, 29707, 29712, 29724, 29730, 29733

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