Charleston, SC Planting Dates — Moon Phase Garden

The four dates that matter

Date	When	What it means
Last spring frost (50%)	Mar 7	Half of all years see a freeze after this date. It is an average, not a guarantee.
Last spring frost (10%)	Mar 27	Only one year in ten freezes after this. Use it for anything you cannot afford to replant.
First fall frost (50%)	Nov 27	Half of all years freeze before this date. Fall crops are counted back from here.
First fall frost (10%)	Nov 8	An early-freeze year. If a crop must finish, aim to harvest before this.

USDA zone 9a 265 frost-free days Elevation 39 ft Station Charleston Intl Ap

Spring & summer planting in Charleston

Dates are calculated from this location's own last-frost date, not from a generic zone chart. “Best moon days” are the days inside each window that fall in the crop's traditional phase — the same rule the app uses.

Crop	Start seed indoors	Plant outdoors	Best moon days	Days to harvest
Strawberry (crowns) transplant	—	Jan 6 – Feb 14	Feb 1 Full Moon	perennial — first real harvest next season
Garlic cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Jan 19 – Feb 19	Feb 2–7 Waning Gibbous	240–300
Asparagus (crowns) transplant	—	Jan 24 – Feb 28	Jan 25, Feb 24 First Quarter	perennial — first real harvest 2–3 years
Chives either	Jan 10	Jan 24 – Feb 28	Jan 24, Feb 18–22 Waxing Crescent	75–90
Onion (from sets/transplants) cloves/sets	—	Jan 24 – Feb 28	Feb 2–7 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Peas (English/snap) direct sow	—	Jan 24 – Feb 28	Jan 25, Feb 24 First Quarter	55–75
Spinach direct sow	—	Jan 24 – Feb 28	Jan 24, Feb 18–22 Waxing Crescent	35–50
Cabbage transplant	Jan 3	Jan 31 – Feb 28	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	65–90
Collards either	Jan 24	Jan 31 – Mar 21	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	55–85
Kale either	Jan 24	Jan 31 – Mar 7	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	50–65
Lettuce (leaf) either	Jan 31	Jan 31 – Mar 28	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	40–55
Potato cloves/sets	—	Jan 31 – Mar 7	Feb 1, Mar 3 Full Moon	70–120
Radish direct sow	—	Jan 31 – Mar 28	Feb 2–7 Waning Gibbous	22–35
Turnip direct sow	—	Jan 31 – Mar 14	Feb 2–7 Waning Gibbous	40–60
Broccoli transplant	Jan 3	Feb 5 – Mar 7	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Brussels Sprouts transplant	Jan 3	Feb 5 – Mar 7	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	90–110
Leek transplant	Dec 27	Feb 5 – Mar 7	Feb 5–8, Mar 4–5 Waning Gibbous	100–120
Lettuce (head) transplant	Jan 17	Feb 5 – Mar 7	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	60–85
Parsley either	Jan 3	Feb 5 – Mar 14	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	70–90
Parsnip direct sow	—	Feb 5 – Mar 14	Mar 3 Full Moon	100–150
Shallot cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Feb 5 – Mar 7	Feb 5–8, Mar 4–5 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Beet direct sow	—	Feb 7 – Mar 28	Mar 3 Full Moon	50–65
Kohlrabi either	Jan 24	Feb 7 – Mar 14	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	45–60
Carrot direct sow	—	Feb 14 – Mar 28	Mar 3 Full Moon	65–85
Cauliflower transplant	Jan 3	Feb 14 – Mar 7	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Cilantro direct sow	—	Feb 14 – Mar 28	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	45–70
Swiss Chard direct sow	—	Feb 14 – Apr 6	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	50–60
Dill direct sow	—	Feb 21 – Apr 6	Feb 21–23, Mar 19–21 Waxing Crescent	40–60
Cucumber either	Feb 14	Mar 7 – Apr 6	Mar 25 First Quarter	50–70
Green Beans (bush) direct sow	—	Mar 7 – Apr 21	Mar 25 First Quarter	50–65
Oregano transplant	Jan 10	Mar 7 – Mar 28	Mar 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Sage transplant	Jan 10	Mar 7 – Mar 28	Mar 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Sweet Corn direct sow	—	Mar 7 – Apr 21	Mar 25 First Quarter	60–100
Thyme transplant	Jan 10	Mar 7 – Mar 28	Mar 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Zucchini / Summer Squash either	Feb 14	Mar 7 – Apr 6	Mar 25 First Quarter	45–60
Basil either	Jan 24	Mar 14 – Apr 6	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	30–60
Dry Beans direct sow	—	Mar 14 – Apr 11	Mar 25 First Quarter	85–100
Pole Beans direct sow	—	Mar 14 – Apr 16	Mar 25 First Quarter	60–75
Pumpkin direct sow	Feb 14	Mar 14 – Apr 11	Mar 25 First Quarter	90–120
Rosemary transplant	Mar 7	Mar 14 – Apr 6	Mar 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Tomatillo transplant	Jan 24	Mar 14 – Apr 6	Mar 25 First Quarter	60–75
Tomato transplant	Jan 24	Mar 14 – Apr 6	Mar 25 First Quarter	60–85
Winter Squash direct sow	Feb 14	Mar 14 – Apr 11	Mar 25 First Quarter	85–110
Cantaloupe / Muskmelon either	Feb 14	Mar 21 – Apr 11	Mar 25 First Quarter	75–90
Eggplant transplant	Jan 10	Mar 21 – Apr 11	Mar 25 First Quarter	60–90
Okra direct sow	Feb 7	Mar 21 – Apr 16	Mar 25 First Quarter	50–70
Pepper transplant	Jan 10	Mar 21 – Apr 11	Mar 25 First Quarter	60–90
Sweet Potato slips	—	Mar 21 – Apr 16	Apr 2–7 Waning Gibbous	90–150
Watermelon either	Feb 14	Mar 21 – Apr 11	Mar 25 First Quarter	70–90

Fall planting in Charleston

Fall dates count backward from the first frost, and they add time back for the “fall factor” — days are shortening and cooling, so a crop grows slower than the seed packet promises. Sowing late is the single most common way a fall garden fails.

Crop	Sow or set out	Best moon days	Days to harvest	Hardiness
Tomato	Jul 12 – Aug 17	Jul 21	60–85	very tender
Brussels Sprouts	Jul 15 – Aug 1	Jul 15–20	90–110	hardy
Potato	Jul 20 – Aug 21	Jul 29	70–120	semi-hardy
Sweet Corn	Jul 25 – Aug 17	—	60–100	tender
Pole Beans	Aug 4 – Aug 17	—	60–75	tender
Parsley	Aug 7 – Aug 21	Aug 13–18	70–90	semi-hardy
Okra	Aug 9 – Sep 8	Aug 19	50–70	very tender
Cabbage	Aug 14 – Aug 26	Aug 14–18	65–90	hardy
Carrot	Aug 14 – Aug 26	—	65–85	semi-hardy
Collards	Aug 14 – Sep 5	Aug 14–18	55–85	hardy
Cucumber	Aug 14 – Aug 27	Aug 19	50–70	tender
Broccoli	Aug 19 – Sep 5	—	55–80	hardy
Cauliflower	Aug 19 – Sep 5	—	55–80	semi-hardy
Green Beans (bush)	Aug 19 – Aug 27	Aug 19	50–65	tender
Lettuce (head)	Aug 19 – Aug 31	—	60–85	semi-hardy
Peas (English/snap)	Aug 19 – Sep 5	Aug 19	55–75	hardy
Beet	Aug 24 – Sep 10	Aug 28	50–65	semi-hardy
Kale	Aug 24 – Sep 10	—	50–65	hardy
Swiss Chard	Aug 24 – Sep 10	—	50–60	semi-hardy
Zucchini / Summer Squash	Aug 24 – Sep 1	—	45–60	tender
Basil	Aug 29 – Sep 16	Sep 11–16	30–60	very tender
Kohlrabi	Aug 29 – Sep 15	Sep 11–15	45–60	hardy
Cilantro	Sep 3 – Sep 15	Sep 11–15	45–70	semi-hardy
Lettuce (leaf)	Sep 3 – Sep 20	Sep 11–16	40–55	semi-hardy
Turnip	Sep 3 – Sep 20	Sep 3	40–60	hardy
Spinach	Sep 8 – Sep 25	Sep 11–16	35–50	hardy
Dill	Sep 13 – Sep 20	Sep 13–17	40–60	semi-hardy
Radish	Sep 13 – Oct 8	Sep 27–Oct 2	22–35	hardy
Garlic	Oct 28 – Dec 18	Oct 28–31, Nov 25–26	240–300	hardy
Shallot	Nov 11 – Dec 12	Nov 25–30	90–120	hardy

Bottom line: the 50% frost date is a coin flip, not a green light. If you would be sick about losing a flat of tomatoes, plant to the Mar 27 date instead and keep a row cover handy either way.

Where these numbers come from

The frost dates on this page are observed station normals, not estimates: they come from Charleston Intl Ap (GHCN USW00013880), one of 6,808 U.S. stations in NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals. The hardiness zone is from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Crop timing is expressed as offsets from your frost dates, drawn from university Extension planting guides.

How precise is any of this?

Extension recommendations for the same crop routinely disagree by two to four weeks, and occasionally more, so these offsets should be presented as windows and starting points rather than deadlines. Three things drive the spread. (1) Regional risk tolerance: for warm-season crops, Colorado State and Utah State put tomatoes, peppers and melons out about 14 days after the last frost, while University of Missouri's calendar works out to roughly 25-35 days after the last frost and University of Maryland's window runs from the frost date itself out to 45 days past it. That is a real 6-week spread for the single most popular garden crop, and it exists because a short-season mountain state is optimizing against a short season while a humid continental state is optimizing against cold, wet spring soil. (2) Soil temperature versus calendar date: most Extension services now say the honest trigger is soil temperature at 4 inches, not the frost date, and the frost-relative number is a convenience translation. A cold, wet spring can push the real date two or three weeks past the calendar recommendation. (3) Days-to-maturity is variety-specific and is measured differently for direct-seeded versus transplanted crops - seed catalogs count from transplant date for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and cole crops, but from sowing for roots and greens - so a 'days to maturity' range of 60-85 for tomato is genuinely 60-85 depending on which packet you bought. Additionally, the average last frost is a 50% probability, meaning half of all years have a frost after that date; Extension services commonly advise waiting 1-2 weeks past it for anything frost-tender, or being prepared to cover. Treat every number here as plus or minus about 10-14 days.

On the station itself: a weather station is one point. Cities hold their heat, valleys pool cold air, and a garden on a north slope can run two weeks behind one a mile away. Treat this page as your starting point and let your own garden correct it — that is exactly what the journal in the app is for.

Nearby locations

North Charleston, SC zone 9a Savannah, GA zone 9a Columbia, SC zone 8a Wilmington, NC zone 8b Fayetteville, NC zone 8a Charlotte, NC zone 8a

Want this on your phone, in your garden? Moon Phase Garden keeps your frost dates, your planting windows and tonight's moon phase in one place, works offline, and lets you override these dates with what your own garden actually does. Free and ad-free.

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