Ready to plant that garden? Not quite yet!
April 2, 2024
Bryan Smith, Clemson Extension Service
Many of us want to plant our vegetables and tender flowers as soon as possible in the spring, and the recent warm weather has us edging toward the hoe and tiller. As tempting as it may be we certainly don’t want to lose our plantings to frost, and Mr. Jack Frost is not quite finished for the season. The Department of Natural Resources has a web page detailing the chance of frost by date for each county. The Laurens County section(https://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/ClimateData/SC_Frost_Freeze_Dates.pdf) provides the following information:
Spring:
– 50% chance of frost on April 7
– 30% chance of frost on April 12
– 10% chance of frost on April 24
– Latest date of known frost occurrence – May 8
This should help you make a more informed decision on how early you should plant. April 15 has been widely regarded as a good day to start planting, and for most years that would be correct. Just remember that there is still a small chance of frost through the end of April. Watch the weather forecast and prepare to protect your tender plants if a frost does occur.
