When to plant in Saint Stephen, SC
Planting dates worked out from Saint Stephen's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 27
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 11
1 year in 10 by Oct 27
Frost-free days
224
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Witherbee South Carolina · 28.5 km away · station 18 m, town 24 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 12 – Feb 26 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 3 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 8 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 23 – Jan 30 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 8 |
| Peas | — | Feb 13 – Mar 13 | Apr 9 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | May 22 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 6 – Apr 17 | May 5 |
| Beet | — | Feb 27 – Apr 10 | Apr 18 |
| Potato | — | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | May 15 |
| Kale | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 11 |
| Broccoli | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Feb 27 – Mar 20 | Apr 28 |
| Cucumber | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 29 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 24 |
| Winter squash | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 28 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jun 1 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 27 – Mar 20 | May 28 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 28 – Nov 25 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 13 – Mar 13 | Mar 23 |
| Basil | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 5 |
Saint Stephen'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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Apr 2 |
| 1998 | Mar 14 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Mar 14 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 5 |
| 2005 | Apr 25 |
| 2006 | Mar 28 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Mar 26 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2011 | Mar 12 |
| 2012 | Mar 6 |
| 2014 | Mar 27 |
| 2016 | Mar 22 |
| 2017 | Mar 20 |
| 2018 | Mar 23 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Mar 8 |
| 2021 | Apr 4 |
| 2022 | Mar 14 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Feb 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 227 |
| 1999 | 220 |
| 2000 | 209 |
| 2001 | 190 |
| 2002 | 224 |
| 2003 | 226 |
| 2004 | 223 |
| 2005 | 188 |
| 2006 | 209 |
| 2007 | 211 |
| 2008 | 216 |
| 2009 | 233 |
| 2010 | 243 |
| 2011 | 243 |
| 2012 | 239 |
| 2014 | 220 |
| 2016 | 242 |
| 2017 | 244 |
| 2018 | 249 |
| 2019 | 220 |
| 2020 | 267 |
| 2021 | 232 |
| 2022 | 248 |
| 2023 | 224 |
| 2024 | 280 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 22.3 °C |
| 1999 | 23.4 °C |
| 2000 | 24.0 °C |
| 2001 | 23.0 °C |
| 2002 | 24.3 °C |
| 2003 | 23.2 °C |
| 2004 | 22.3 °C |
| 2005 | 23.4 °C |
| 2006 | 23.4 °C |
| 2007 | 23.4 °C |
| 2008 | 23.7 °C |
| 2009 | 23.6 °C |
| 2010 | 25.0 °C |
| 2011 | 25.1 °C |
| 2012 | 24.0 °C |
| 2013 | 23.9 °C |
| 2014 | 24.2 °C |
| 2016 | 24.9 °C |
| 2017 | 24.7 °C |
| 2018 | 24.8 °C |
| 2019 | 25.1 °C |
| 2020 | 24.1 °C |
| 2021 | 23.8 °C |
| 2022 | 24.5 °C |
| 2023 | 24.0 °C |
| 2024 | 24.7 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Witherbee South Carolina (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.