Sumter, SC 29168 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Sumter, SC?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/21, about 205 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/13, about 239 frost-free days later.
Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Sumter, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 11 weeks of growing season left in Sumter before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 03/21 isn't a guarantee
03/21 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/28 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/09 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Sumter compares
About 239 days separate Sumter's last and first frost, putting it 8,775 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within SC, it ranks 198 of 519.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Sumter can differ from the 29168 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Sumter's frost date answer different questions.