USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 29653 — Hodges, South Carolina
Averages from Greenwood Co Ap, Sc US, the nearest reporting station, 5.2 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 1, and expect the first autumn freeze around November 2. That leaves about 216 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 1
- First fall frost
- November 2
- Growing season
- 216 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
10 to 15°F annual low
Planting calendar for 29653
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 21 – February 4 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 4 – February 18 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 4 – March 18 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 1 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 10 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 19 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 2 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after April 1 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Hodges, South Carolina are past their last freeze. Harvest before November 2, which leaves roughly 216 frost-free days.
ZIP 29653 sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 10 to 15°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.