Gaffney, SC 29342 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Gaffney, SC?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/20, roughly 235 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/24, about 186 frost-free days later.
Gaffney sits in USDA Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Gaffney before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/20 isn't a guarantee
04/20 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gaffney compares
About 186 days separate Gaffney's last and first frost, putting it 22,749 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within SC, it ranks 507 of 519.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Gaffney can differ from the 29342 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Gaffney's frost date answer different questions.