When to plant in Estill, SC
Planting dates worked out from Estill's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 11
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 25
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 4
1 year in 10 by Oct 24
Frost-free days
223
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Allendale 2 Nw · 29.9 km away · station 55 m, town 34 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 5 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 10 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 21 – Jan 28 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 6 |
| Peas | — | Feb 11 – Mar 11 | Apr 7 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | May 24 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 4 – Apr 15 | May 3 |
| Beet | — | Feb 25 – Apr 8 | Apr 16 |
| Potato | — | Mar 4 – Mar 25 | May 13 |
| Kale | Jan 14 – Jan 28 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 9 |
| Broccoli | Jan 14 – Jan 28 | Feb 25 – Mar 18 | Apr 26 |
| Cucumber | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 31 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 26 |
| Winter squash | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 30 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 3 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 25 – Mar 18 | May 26 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 21 – Nov 18 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 11 – Mar 11 | Mar 21 |
| Basil | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jun 7 |
Estill's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1981 | Mar 21 |
| 1982 | Apr 7 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Mar 10 |
| 1985 | Mar 20 |
| 1986 | Mar 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 1 |
| 1988 | Mar 18 |
| 1989 | Mar 9 |
| 1990 | Mar 21 |
| 1991 | Mar 11 |
| 1992 | Apr 3 |
| 1993 | Mar 19 |
| 1994 | Mar 18 |
| 1995 | Mar 11 |
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1997 | Feb 20 |
| 1998 | Mar 14 |
| 1999 | Mar 16 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 20 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Mar 9 |
| 2006 | Mar 28 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Mar 9 |
| 2011 | Mar 13 |
| 2012 | Mar 7 |
| 2013 | Mar 29 |
| 2014 | Mar 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 237 |
| 1982 | 249 |
| 1983 | 206 |
| 1984 | 242 |
| 1985 | 257 |
| 1986 | 236 |
| 1987 | 204 |
| 1988 | 209 |
| 1989 | 225 |
| 1990 | 253 |
| 1991 | 210 |
| 1992 | 226 |
| 1993 | 226 |
| 1994 | 250 |
| 1995 | 242 |
| 1996 | 206 |
| 1997 | 269 |
| 1998 | 223 |
| 1999 | 223 |
| 2004 | 222 |
| 2005 | 234 |
| 2006 | 209 |
| 2007 | 210 |
| 2008 | 194 |
| 2009 | 211 |
| 2010 | 241 |
| 2011 | 230 |
| 2012 | 246 |
| 2014 | 219 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 24.5 °C |
| 1982 | 24.0 °C |
| 1983 | 23.7 °C |
| 1984 | 23.5 °C |
| 1985 | 24.3 °C |
| 1986 | 24.6 °C |
| 1987 | 24.5 °C |
| 1988 | 23.7 °C |
| 1989 | 23.5 °C |
| 1990 | 24.4 °C |
| 1991 | 25.0 °C |
| 1992 | 23.6 °C |
| 1993 | 24.8 °C |
| 1994 | 23.3 °C |
| 1995 | 23.8 °C |
| 1996 | 23.6 °C |
| 1997 | 22.6 °C |
| 1998 | 24.7 °C |
| 1999 | 23.6 °C |
| 2003 | 23.2 °C |
| 2004 | 23.9 °C |
| 2005 | 23.5 °C |
| 2006 | 23.6 °C |
| 2007 | 23.4 °C |
| 2008 | 23.4 °C |
| 2009 | 23.3 °C |
| 2010 | 24.7 °C |
| 2011 | 24.6 °C |
| 2012 | 23.1 °C |
| 2013 | 22.6 °C |
| 2014 | 23.7 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1981, Estill's last spring frost has come about 1 day later per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Allendale 2 Nw (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.