When to plant in Gaston, SC
Planting dates worked out from Gaston's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 15
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 2
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 29
1 year in 10 by Oct 16
Frost-free days
208
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Pelion 0.8 Nw · 15.4 km away · station 138 m, town 152 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 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 9 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 14 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 29 – Feb 5 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 14 |
| Peas | — | Feb 19 – Mar 19 | Apr 15 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | May 28 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 12 – Apr 23 | May 11 |
| Beet | — | Mar 5 – Apr 16 | Apr 24 |
| Potato | — | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | May 21 |
| Kale | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 17 |
| Broccoli | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 5 – Mar 26 | May 4 |
| Cucumber | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 4 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 30 |
| Winter squash | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jul 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 5 – Mar 26 | Jun 3 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 15 – Nov 12 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 19 – Mar 19 | Mar 29 |
| Basil | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 11 |
Gaston'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 |
|---|---|
| 1962 | Apr 21 |
| 1963 | May 2 |
| 1964 | Mar 31 |
| 1965 | Mar 22 |
| 1966 | Apr 11 |
| 1967 | Mar 19 |
| 1968 | Mar 26 |
| 1969 | Mar 28 |
| 1970 | Apr 8 |
| 1971 | Apr 9 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1974 | Apr 25 |
| 1975 | Apr 7 |
| 1976 | Apr 10 |
| 1977 | Apr 7 |
| 1978 | Apr 22 |
| 1979 | Mar 27 |
| 1980 | Mar 22 |
| 1981 | Mar 26 |
| 1982 | Apr 24 |
| 1983 | Apr 21 |
| 1984 | Apr 20 |
| 1985 | Apr 11 |
| 1986 | Apr 24 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Mar 18 |
| 1989 | May 8 |
| 1990 | Apr 12 |
| 1991 | Mar 20 |
| 1992 | Apr 6 |
| 1993 | Apr 23 |
| 1994 | Mar 13 |
| 1995 | Mar 12 |
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1998 | Mar 24 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 10 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Mar 24 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 5 |
| 2005 | Mar 20 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 24 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Mar 30 |
| 2017 | Apr 8 |
| 2019 | Mar 28 |
| 2020 | Mar 8 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 11 |
| 2023 | Mar 22 |
| 2024 | Mar 20 |
| 2025 | Mar 8 |
| 2026 | Mar 20 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 186 |
| 1963 | 180 |
| 1964 | 203 |
| 1965 | 216 |
| 1966 | 205 |
| 1967 | 223 |
| 1968 | 216 |
| 1969 | 221 |
| 1970 | 192 |
| 1971 | 212 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1973 | 186 |
| 1974 | 161 |
| 1975 | 221 |
| 1976 | 194 |
| 1977 | 192 |
| 1978 | 176 |
| 1979 | 201 |
| 1980 | 229 |
| 1981 | 207 |
| 1982 | 195 |
| 1983 | 189 |
| 1984 | 200 |
| 1985 | 211 |
| 1986 | 177 |
| 1987 | 192 |
| 1988 | 208 |
| 1989 | 165 |
| 1990 | 197 |
| 1991 | 201 |
| 1992 | 197 |
| 1993 | 188 |
| 1994 | 255 |
| 1995 | 241 |
| 1996 | 190 |
| 1998 | 213 |
| 1999 | 209 |
| 2000 | 182 |
| 2001 | 180 |
| 2002 | 228 |
| 2003 | 225 |
| 2004 | 214 |
| 2005 | 220 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2008 | 185 |
| 2009 | 193 |
| 2010 | 212 |
| 2011 | 206 |
| 2012 | 201 |
| 2019 | 225 |
| 2020 | 239 |
| 2021 | 215 |
| 2022 | 191 |
| 2023 | 224 |
| 2024 | 247 |
| 2025 | 247 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 23.4 °C |
| 1963 | 22.9 °C |
| 1964 | 23.0 °C |
| 1965 | 23.3 °C |
| 1966 | 22.6 °C |
| 1967 | 22.2 °C |
| 1968 | 23.0 °C |
| 1969 | 23.1 °C |
| 1970 | 23.9 °C |
| 1971 | 23.0 °C |
| 1972 | 22.4 °C |
| 1973 | 22.9 °C |
| 1974 | 22.9 °C |
| 1975 | 23.3 °C |
| 1976 | 22.3 °C |
| 1977 | 24.0 °C |
| 1978 | 23.6 °C |
| 1979 | 22.8 °C |
| 1980 | 24.3 °C |
| 1981 | 23.6 °C |
| 1982 | 22.7 °C |
| 1983 | 22.4 °C |
| 1984 | 22.2 °C |
| 1985 | 23.1 °C |
| 1986 | 24.2 °C |
| 1987 | 23.7 °C |
| 1988 | 22.9 °C |
| 1989 | 23.0 °C |
| 1990 | 23.6 °C |
| 1991 | 23.6 °C |
| 1992 | 22.6 °C |
| 1993 | 24.2 °C |
| 1994 | 23.3 °C |
| 1995 | 24.0 °C |
| 1996 | 23.6 °C |
| 1998 | 24.4 °C |
| 1999 | 23.5 °C |
| 2000 | 23.6 °C |
| 2001 | 23.4 °C |
| 2002 | 24.1 °C |
| 2003 | 23.1 °C |
| 2004 | 23.6 °C |
| 2005 | 23.6 °C |
| 2006 | 23.5 °C |
| 2007 | 22.5 °C |
| 2008 | 22.7 °C |
| 2009 | 22.9 °C |
| 2010 | 23.9 °C |
| 2011 | 23.5 °C |
| 2012 | 22.9 °C |
| 2013 | 21.6 °C |
| 2019 | 25.8 °C |
| 2020 | 23.5 °C |
| 2021 | 23.0 °C |
| 2022 | 24.2 °C |
| 2023 | 23.1 °C |
| 2024 | 24.2 °C |
| 2026 | 24.3 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1962, Gaston's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Pelion 0.8 Nw (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.