When to plant in Saint Matthews, SC
Planting dates worked out from Saint Matthews's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 6
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 12
1 year in 10 by Oct 27
Frost-free days
241
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Orangeburg 2 · 21.5 km away · station 56 m, town 84 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 9 – Feb 23 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 31 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 5 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 12 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Mar 28 |
| Peas | — | Feb 2 – Mar 2 | Mar 29 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | May 19 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 23 – Apr 6 | Apr 24 |
| Beet | — | Feb 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 7 |
| Potato | — | Feb 23 – Mar 16 | May 4 |
| Kale | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Mar 31 |
| Broccoli | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 9 | Apr 17 |
| Cucumber | Mar 9 – Mar 16 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 26 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 9 – Mar 16 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 21 |
| Winter squash | Mar 9 – Mar 16 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 25 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | May 29 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 16 – Mar 9 | May 17 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 29 – Nov 26 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 2 – Mar 2 | Mar 12 |
| Basil | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 2 |
Saint Matthews'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 |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Mar 22 |
| 1955 | Mar 30 |
| 1956 | Mar 25 |
| 1957 | Mar 11 |
| 1958 | Mar 23 |
| 1959 | Mar 8 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Feb 12 |
| 1962 | Apr 3 |
| 1963 | Mar 23 |
| 1964 | Mar 31 |
| 1965 | Mar 22 |
| 1966 | Mar 29 |
| 1967 | Mar 20 |
| 1968 | Mar 25 |
| 1969 | Mar 15 |
| 1970 | Mar 17 |
| 1971 | Apr 8 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Mar 23 |
| 1974 | Mar 18 |
| 1975 | Apr 6 |
| 1976 | Apr 10 |
| 1977 | Mar 2 |
| 1978 | Mar 18 |
| 1979 | Mar 26 |
| 1980 | Mar 16 |
| 1981 | Mar 21 |
| 1982 | Apr 7 |
| 1983 | Apr 21 |
| 1984 | Mar 11 |
| 1985 | Mar 20 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 1 |
| 1988 | Mar 17 |
| 1989 | Mar 8 |
| 1990 | Mar 21 |
| 1991 | Mar 11 |
| 1992 | Apr 3 |
| 1993 | Mar 19 |
| 1994 | Feb 28 |
| 1995 | Mar 11 |
| 1996 | Apr 10 |
| 1997 | Feb 16 |
| 1998 | Mar 14 |
| 1999 | Mar 16 |
| 2000 | Feb 22 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2003 | Feb 19 |
| 2004 | Mar 24 |
| 2005 | Mar 9 |
| 2006 | Mar 27 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2011 | Apr 5 |
| 2012 | Feb 21 |
| 2013 | Mar 29 |
| 2014 | Mar 27 |
| 2015 | Mar 29 |
| 2016 | Feb 28 |
| 2017 | Mar 17 |
| 2018 | Mar 15 |
| 2019 | Mar 7 |
| 2020 | Mar 8 |
| 2021 | Apr 3 |
| 2022 | Mar 14 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Feb 21 |
| 2025 | Mar 3 |
| 2026 | Mar 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 225 |
| 1955 | 215 |
| 1956 | 229 |
| 1957 | 230 |
| 1958 | 252 |
| 1959 | 254 |
| 1960 | 210 |
| 1961 | 257 |
| 1962 | 205 |
| 1963 | 221 |
| 1964 | 235 |
| 1965 | 240 |
| 1966 | 218 |
| 1967 | 229 |
| 1968 | 232 |
| 1969 | 244 |
| 1970 | 243 |
| 1971 | 213 |
| 1972 | 221 |
| 1973 | 231 |
| 1974 | 217 |
| 1975 | 222 |
| 1976 | 201 |
| 1978 | 266 |
| 1979 | 214 |
| 1980 | 240 |
| 1981 | 212 |
| 1982 | 212 |
| 1983 | 206 |
| 1984 | 240 |
| 1985 | 257 |
| 1986 | 204 |
| 1987 | 204 |
| 1988 | 210 |
| 1989 | 253 |
| 1990 | 253 |
| 1991 | 240 |
| 1992 | 226 |
| 1993 | 227 |
| 1995 | 242 |
| 1996 | 207 |
| 1997 | 273 |
| 1998 | 278 |
| 1999 | 221 |
| 2000 | 264 |
| 2001 | 191 |
| 2002 | 238 |
| 2003 | 267 |
| 2004 | 234 |
| 2005 | 252 |
| 2006 | 209 |
| 2009 | 246 |
| 2010 | 243 |
| 2011 | 207 |
| 2012 | 252 |
| 2013 | 210 |
| 2014 | 219 |
| 2015 | 239 |
| 2016 | 264 |
| 2017 | 247 |
| 2018 | 257 |
| 2019 | 241 |
| 2020 | 255 |
| 2021 | 234 |
| 2022 | 218 |
| 2023 | 226 |
| 2024 | 281 |
| 2025 | 251 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 25.1 °C |
| 1955 | 24.2 °C |
| 1956 | 24.1 °C |
| 1957 | 24.1 °C |
| 1958 | 24.3 °C |
| 1959 | 24.4 °C |
| 1960 | 24.1 °C |
| 1961 | 22.9 °C |
| 1962 | 24.1 °C |
| 1963 | 23.1 °C |
| 1964 | 23.4 °C |
| 1965 | 23.9 °C |
| 1966 | 22.4 °C |
| 1967 | 22.3 °C |
| 1968 | 23.1 °C |
| 1969 | 23.2 °C |
| 1970 | 23.7 °C |
| 1971 | 23.2 °C |
| 1972 | 22.9 °C |
| 1973 | 23.5 °C |
| 1974 | 23.2 °C |
| 1975 | 23.4 °C |
| 1976 | 22.9 °C |
| 1977 | 24.4 °C |
| 1978 | 23.9 °C |
| 1979 | 22.6 °C |
| 1980 | 23.5 °C |
| 1981 | 23.7 °C |
| 1982 | 23.2 °C |
| 1983 | 22.9 °C |
| 1984 | 22.9 °C |
| 1985 | 23.3 °C |
| 1986 | 24.4 °C |
| 1987 | 23.9 °C |
| 1988 | 23.4 °C |
| 1989 | 23.1 °C |
| 1990 | 23.7 °C |
| 1991 | 24.1 °C |
| 1992 | 22.9 °C |
| 1993 | 24.5 °C |
| 1994 | 23.7 °C |
| 1995 | 24.7 °C |
| 1996 | 24.4 °C |
| 1997 | 23.4 °C |
| 1998 | 25.4 °C |
| 1999 | 24.6 °C |
| 2000 | 24.4 °C |
| 2001 | 24.3 °C |
| 2002 | 25.3 °C |
| 2003 | 24.3 °C |
| 2004 | 25.1 °C |
| 2005 | 24.0 °C |
| 2006 | 24.1 °C |
| 2008 | 23.7 °C |
| 2009 | 23.2 °C |
| 2010 | 24.6 °C |
| 2011 | 24.3 °C |
| 2012 | 23.3 °C |
| 2013 | 22.3 °C |
| 2014 | 23.2 °C |
| 2015 | 23.6 °C |
| 2016 | 25.4 °C |
| 2017 | 24.9 °C |
| 2018 | 25.3 °C |
| 2019 | 24.6 °C |
| 2020 | 22.9 °C |
| 2021 | 22.6 °C |
| 2022 | 22.7 °C |
| 2023 | 22.8 °C |
| 2024 | 24.1 °C |
| 2025 | 23.4 °C |
| 2026 | 23.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1954, Saint Matthews's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Orangeburg 2 (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.