When to plant in Watts Mills, SC

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

Safe to plant out

Apr 18

1 year in 10 has a later frost

Average last frost

Apr 3

about a 50% chance of a later one

Average first fall frost

Oct 30

1 year in 10 by Oct 12

Frost-free days

208

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Laurens · 3.8 km away · station 180 m, town 198 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Feb 21 – Mar 7	Apr 18 – May 2	Jun 12
Sweet pepper	Feb 7 – Feb 21	Apr 18 – May 2	Jun 17
Lettuce (leaf)	Jan 30 – Feb 6	Mar 6 – Mar 20	Apr 15
Peas	—	Feb 20 – Mar 20	Apr 16
Bush beans	—	Apr 11 – May 2	May 31
Carrot	—	Mar 13 – Apr 24	May 12
Beet	—	Mar 6 – Apr 17	Apr 25
Potato	—	Mar 13 – Apr 3	May 22
Kale	Jan 23 – Feb 6	Mar 6 – Mar 20	Apr 18
Broccoli	Jan 23 – Feb 6	Mar 6 – Mar 27	May 5
Cucumber	Mar 21 – Mar 28	Apr 18 – May 2	Jun 7
Summer squash and zucchini	Mar 21 – Mar 28	Apr 18 – May 2	Jun 2
Winter squash	Mar 21 – Mar 28	Apr 18 – May 2	Jul 7
Sweet corn	—	Apr 11 – May 2	Jun 10
Onion (from sets)	—	Mar 6 – Mar 27	Jun 4
Garlic	—	Oct 16 – Nov 13 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Feb 20 – Mar 20	Mar 30
Basil	Mar 7 – Mar 21	Apr 18 – May 2	Jun 14

Plan all 65 crops for Watts Mills

Watts Mills'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
1902	Mar 23
1904	Apr 4
1905	Apr 16
1919	Apr 3
1920	Apr 16
1921	Apr 19
1922	Mar 24
1923	Apr 11
1924	Apr 3
1925	Apr 1
1926	Apr 20
1927	Mar 25
1928	Mar 22
1929	Mar 18
1930	Apr 1
1931	Mar 20
1932	Mar 15
1933	Mar 11
1934	Apr 13
1935	Mar 13
1936	Apr 4
1937	Apr 12
1938	Apr 11
1941	Mar 30
1942	Apr 1
1944	Apr 6
1945	Apr 7
1946	Mar 12
1947	Mar 29
1948	Mar 29
1949	Apr 17
1950	Apr 16
1951	Mar 22
1952	Mar 16
1953	Apr 21
1954	Mar 22
1955	Apr 1
1956	Mar 25
1957	Apr 10
1958	Mar 29
1959	Apr 15
1960	Apr 11
1961	Apr 14
1962	Apr 20
1963	May 2
1964	Apr 1
1965	Mar 27
1966	Apr 11
1967	Mar 23
1968	Mar 26
1969	Mar 28
1970	Apr 8
1971	Apr 8
1972	Apr 10
1973	Apr 14
1974	Apr 10
1976	Apr 10
1978	Apr 23
1981	Mar 26
1982	Apr 24
1983	Apr 26
1984	Mar 31
1985	Apr 10
1986	Apr 24
1987	Apr 6
1988	Mar 28
1989	May 8
1990	Apr 13
1992	Apr 6
1993	Apr 28
1994	Apr 2
1995	Apr 24
1996	Apr 11
1997	Apr 18
1998	Apr 4
1999	Apr 18
2000	Apr 9
2002	Apr 8
2003	Mar 31
2004	Mar 24
2005	Mar 20
2006	Mar 28
2007	Apr 10
2008	Apr 17
2009	Apr 8
2010	Mar 9
2011	Mar 12
2012	Mar 11
2013	Mar 30
2014	Apr 17
2015	Mar 30
2016	Apr 11
2017	Mar 20
2018	Apr 18
2019	Mar 21
2020	Mar 9
2021	Apr 4
2022	Apr 10
2023	Mar 22
2024	Mar 20
2025	Mar 7
2026	Mar 20

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1904	221
1919	224
1920	196
1921	177
1922	237
1923	210
1924	227
1925	192
1926	188
1927	238
1928	236
1929	232
1930	207
1931	226
1932	241
1933	241
1934	198
1936	225
1937	194
1938	227
1942	208
1944	213
1945	211
1946	266
1947	241
1948	246
1949	200
1950	209
1951	225
1952	218
1953	199
1954	208
1955	207
1956	229
1957	201
1958	213
1959	206
1962	187
1963	180
1964	193
1965	211
1966	205
1968	216
1969	220
1970	221
1971	210
1972	192
1973	209
1974	176
1976	191
1981	207
1982	184
1983	193
1984	220
1985	212
1986	203
1987	180
1988	198
1989	164
1990	196
1992	195
1993	166
1994	234
1995	193
1996	183
1997	186
1998	200
1999	187
2000	182
2002	219
2003	227
2004	230
2005	235
2006	199
2007	202
2008	193
2009	193
2010	242
2011	231
2012	234
2013	209
2014	198
2015	229
2016	222
2017	223
2018	206
2019	227
2020	238
2021	223
2022	191
2023	224
2024	246
2025	248

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1904	22.7 °C
1919	21.7 °C
1920	21.7 °C
1921	23.0 °C
1922	22.6 °C
1923	21.9 °C
1924	22.3 °C
1925	24.4 °C
1926	23.5 °C
1927	23.4 °C
1928	22.4 °C
1929	22.7 °C
1930	23.7 °C
1931	23.7 °C
1932	23.2 °C
1933	23.9 °C
1934	24.0 °C
1936	23.8 °C
1937	22.9 °C
1938	23.6 °C
1941	23.9 °C
1942	23.2 °C
1943	22.6 °C
1944	23.7 °C
1945	23.5 °C
1946	22.9 °C
1947	23.2 °C
1948	23.7 °C
1950	23.1 °C
1951	23.7 °C
1952	24.0 °C
1953	23.7 °C
1954	23.9 °C
1955	23.6 °C
1956	23.1 °C
1957	23.3 °C
1958	22.9 °C
1959	22.9 °C
1961	21.3 °C
1962	23.0 °C
1963	22.3 °C
1964	22.5 °C
1965	23.0 °C
1966	22.2 °C
1968	21.9 °C
1969	22.3 °C
1970	23.0 °C
1971	21.9 °C
1972	21.4 °C
1973	22.1 °C
1974	21.5 °C
1978	22.6 °C
1979	21.3 °C
1981	22.3 °C
1982	21.8 °C
1983	21.6 °C
1984	21.5 °C
1985	22.1 °C
1986	23.1 °C
1987	23.2 °C
1988	22.3 °C
1989	22.0 °C
1990	22.3 °C
1991	22.9 °C
1992	21.5 °C
1993	22.4 °C
1994	22.4 °C
1995	23.0 °C
1996	21.6 °C
1997	20.0 °C
1998	23.3 °C
1999	22.7 °C
2000	22.5 °C
2001	21.9 °C
2002	22.6 °C
2003	22.1 °C
2004	22.8 °C
2005	22.8 °C
2006	22.8 °C
2007	23.0 °C
2008	22.7 °C
2009	22.7 °C
2010	24.1 °C
2011	23.7 °C
2012	22.7 °C
2013	21.8 °C
2014	22.4 °C
2015	23.5 °C
2016	23.9 °C
2017	23.1 °C
2018	23.5 °C
2019	23.8 °C
2020	22.4 °C
2021	22.6 °C
2022	23.1 °C
2023	22.2 °C
2024	23.5 °C
2025	23.2 °C
2026	23.8 °C

What this means for you: Since 1902, Watts Mills's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

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

Nearby towns

Laurens Clinton Joanna Woodruff Fountain Inn Ware Shoals