When to Cut Spinach in South Carolina, and How Long It Really Keeps
In South Carolina, spinach gets cut in two windows: spring, before highs settle above 75 F, and late fall, ahead of the first frost. Summer is closed.
South Carolina
Home and garden guidance for South Carolina: planting dates for its climate zones, the codes that apply locally, and the rebates residents can actually claim.
Gardening in South Carolina
Everything we have worked out for South Carolina: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Charleston, the last spring freeze runs February 28 to March 17 and the first fall freeze runs November 20 to December 5, USDA zones 7a-9a, 6,323 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic is the awkward one: only 4.3 weeks below 40 °F, where it needs six to split into cloves. Chill the cloves before planting, or grow a softneck type.
Elsewhere on the property in South Carolina: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in South Carolina, and How to Keep the Spears
Stop cutting when most of the spears coming up are thinner than a pencil. That is an object, not a calendar date, and it holds in every South Carolina…
When to Cut Pumpkins in South Carolina, and How Long They Keep
Cut a South Carolina pumpkin with the stem attached once it has had 45 to 55 days since its flower opened, and always before the first freeze, which…
What Eats Spinach in South Carolina, and When
In South Carolina, what eats a spinach crop is the calendar. In spring, lengthening days and rising heat push plants to flower and turn the leaves bitter.
What Eats Pumpkin in South Carolina, and When
In South Carolina, the first thing that gets a pumpkin is usually the calendar.
How Late Can You Plant Trees and Shrubs in Fall in South Carolina?
In South Carolina, the safe window for planting trees and shrubs in fall closes between October 9 and October 24, six weeks before the first fall frost…
What Eats Pepper in South Carolina, and When
In South Carolina, the thing that eats most into a pepper crop is weather, not a bug.
What Eats Carrot in South Carolina, and When
Nothing in the verified figures behind this page is a pest calendar, so it won’t hand you a list of insects and dates it can’t back up.
What Eats Onion in South Carolina, and When
Most of the insects on South Carolina’s documented garden-pest list belong to other crops: squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage.
Finishing a Basement in South Carolina: Permits, Ceiling Height, Egress and Waterproofing
A plain guide to South Carolina’s basement rules on permits, ceiling height, egress windows and dealing with moisture in clay soil.