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When to plant in Kiawah Island, SC

Planting dates worked out from Kiawah Island's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out
Mar 3
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 23
1 year in 10 by Dec 7
Frost-free days
319
median, 1991–2020

Station used: Dwtn Charleston · 23.9 km away · station 3 m, town 4 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

CropStart indoorsPlant out or sowHarvest from
Tomato Jan 6 – Jan 20 Mar 3 – Mar 17 Apr 27
Sweet pepper Dec 23 – Jan 6 Mar 3 – Mar 17 May 2
Lettuce (leaf) Dec 4 – Dec 11 Jan 8 – Jan 22 Feb 17
Peas — Dec 25 – Jan 22 Feb 18
Bush beans
Season likely too short		 — Feb 24 – Mar 17 Apr 15
Carrot — Jan 15 – Feb 26 Mar 16
Beet — Jan 8 – Feb 19 Feb 27
Potato — Jan 15 – Feb 5 Mar 26
Kale Nov 27 – Dec 11 Jan 8 – Jan 22 Feb 20
Broccoli Nov 27 – Dec 11 Jan 8 – Jan 29 Mar 9
Cucumber Feb 3 – Feb 10 Mar 3 – Mar 17 Apr 22
Summer squash and zucchini Feb 3 – Feb 10 Mar 3 – Mar 17 Apr 17
Winter squash Feb 3 – Feb 10 Mar 3 – Mar 17 May 22
Sweet corn
Season likely too short		 — Feb 24 – Mar 17 Apr 25
Onion (from sets) — Jan 8 – Jan 29 Apr 8
Garlic — Dec 9 – Jan 6 (fall) following summer
Spinach — Dec 25 – Jan 22 Feb 1
Basil Jan 20 – Feb 3 Mar 3 – Mar 17 Apr 29

Plan all 65 crops for Kiawah Island

Kiawah Island's weather over time

How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.

Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1 1900191019201930194019501960197019801990200020102020
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
YearLast spring frost
1893Mar 5
1894Mar 27
1895Feb 16
1896Feb 22
1897Jan 31
1898Feb 22
1899Mar 8
1900Feb 25
1901Mar 7
1902Mar 19
1903Feb 18
1904Feb 13
1905Feb 16
1906Feb 28
1907Feb 8
1908Feb 28
1909Feb 1
1910Feb 14
1911Feb 22
1912Feb 12
1913Feb 14
1914Mar 21
1915Jan 21
1916Mar 16
1917Feb 13
1918Feb 5
1919Feb 17
1920Mar 8
1921Jan 27
1922Feb 17
1923Feb 24
1924Mar 11
1925Mar 3
1926Mar 14
1927Mar 3
1928Feb 19
1929Feb 14
1930Mar 3
1931Feb 15
1932Mar 15
1933Feb 12
1934Mar 12
1935Feb 28
1936Feb 22
1937Mar 1
1939Feb 24
1940Feb 26
1941Mar 2
1942Feb 28
1943Mar 4
1944Feb 13
1945Feb 2
1946Jan 28
1947Mar 3
1948Feb 11
1951Feb 11
1952Jan 31
1953Jan 4
1954Jan 13
1955Mar 27
1956Jan 10
1957Jan 19
1958Feb 21
1959Feb 21
1960Mar 13
1961Feb 5
1962Mar 6
1963Feb 27
1964Feb 12
1965Feb 26
1966Feb 6
1967Feb 26
1968Mar 1
1969Mar 11
1970Feb 26
1971Feb 14
1972Feb 20
1973Feb 18
1974Feb 26
1975Mar 3
1976Jan 20
1977Feb 17
1978Mar 5
1979Feb 19
1980Mar 3
1981Feb 12
1982Jan 27
1983Jan 20
1984Feb 8
1985Feb 13
1986Jan 29
1987Jan 27
1988Feb 13
1989Feb 25
1990Feb 26
1991Feb 17
1992Jan 20
1993Mar 16
1994Jan 22
1995Feb 9
1996Mar 9
1997Jan 19
1999Jan 6
2000Jan 28
2001Jan 26
2002Mar 5
2003Jan 28
2004Jan 28
2005Jan 28
2006Feb 13
2007Feb 6
2008Feb 28
2009Mar 3
2010Feb 26
2011Jan 23
2012Feb 12
2013Feb 17
2014Jan 30
2015Feb 20
2016Feb 14
2017Jan 9
2018Jan 18
2020Feb 22
2022Jan 30
2024Jan 21

What this means for you: Since 1893, Kiawah Island's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Dwtn Charleston (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Seabrook IslandFolly BeachJames IslandMeggettShell PointHollywood