Chester, SC 29014 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Chester, SC?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/03, about 218 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/02, about 213 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Chester in Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Chester before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Chester's last frost
04/03 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/19 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Chester compares
About 213 days separate Chester's last and first frost, putting it 14,488 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within SC, it ranks 461 of 519.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Chester can differ from the 29014 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Chester's frost date answer different questions.