Salem, SC 29676 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Salem, SC, ZIP 29676
Around 03/21 is the usual last spring frost, about 205 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/11, about 236 frost-free days later.
Zone 8a (10 to 15°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 Salem, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 8a around Salem has about 11 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
03/21 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Salem compares
Salem's growing season runs about 236 days, ranking 9,525 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within SC, it ranks 264 of 519.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Salem's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Salem can differ from the 29676 normal.