South Carolina
Planting zones in Newberry County, South Carolina
Every ZIP code in this county is USDA zone 8a β so unlike most of the places people look up, there is one right answer here and it holds wherever you are in the county.
Your ZIP code
Get the exact answer for your address
Everything above describes Newberry County, South Carolina as a whole. Hardiness zones and freeze dates are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact β enter it and this page will tell you your zone, which NOAA station it comes from and how far away that station is.
What you can sow in Newberry County now
4 of 32 crops that every one of the 4 NOAA stations serving this county agrees still has time to mature β with a week in hand, so this holds until the page is next rebuilt.
- π± Radishes 28d
- π₯¬ Arugula 35d
- π₯¬ Spinach 40d
- π₯¬ Mustard Greens 40d
Counted against a first fall freeze of October 30 β November 11 across 4 of those stations, NOAA 1991β2020 normals.
A further 7 crops depend on where in Newberry County you are β its stations disagree about them. The ZIP lookup above settles it for one address.
All 4 stations agreeAt least one station
Every one of the 4 NOAA stations serving this county counts April 6 β October 30 as growing season (207 days). Widening to any single station gives March 22 β November 11 (234 days).
That is a 27-day difference inside one county β which is why this page gives ranges rather than a single planting date. The ZIP lookup above resolves it to one station.
Your freeze dates
Across the 4 NOAA stations serving this county. These are medians β half of years freeze later than the date shown β so treat the later end of each range as the cautious one.
The growing season runs 207β234 days depending which station you are nearest, as published by NOAA rather than computed from the dates above. Summer highs average 88.7β89.6 Β°F in JuneβAugust. Summer rain over the same months runs 11.8β13.1" across those 4 stations, against the rough inch a week β about 13 inches over the same 92 days β that a vegetable garden is usually reckoned to want. The middle station covers about 99% of it, so expect to make up the rest. The inches are NOAA's published normals; the inch a week is a rule of thumb, and it takes no account of a 89 Β°F summer afternoon drying the soil faster than a cool one.
Every ZIP code in Newberry County
Zones are published per ZIP code, not per county, so this is the exact answer rather than the county's average. The station column is the nearest one to that ZIP code's centroid and how far away it is β the same figure the tools use, shown here so you can see which ZIP codes are well covered and which are reaching.
| ZIP code | USDA zone | Nearest NOAA station | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29037 | 8a | Lake Greenwood, SC | 4.0 km |
| 29075 | 8a | Little Mtn, SC | 3.4 km |
| 29108 | 8a | Newberry, SC | 1.6 km |
| 29122 | 8a | Little Mtn, SC | 9.0 km |
| 29126 | 8a | Little Mtn, SC | 14.4 km |
| 29127 | 8a | Little Mtn, SC | 10.4 km |
| 29145 | 8a | Lake Greenwood, SC | 10.3 km |
| 29178 | 8a | Union 8 S, SC | 13.9 km |
| 29355 | 8a | Newberry, SC | 14.1 km |
ZIP-code positions are area centroids, so a large rural ZIP code's listed distance is measured from the middle of its area rather than from any particular address in it.
When to start seeds in Newberry County
Every date below is anchored on the last spring freeze at each station and reported as a range across all 4 of them, because no one station speaks for the county.
| Crop | Job | When | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| π§ Green Onions | Start indoors | January 25 β February 9 | 8 wk before |
| πΆοΈ Peppers | Start indoors | January 25 β February 9 | 8 wk before |
| π₯¦ Broccoli | Start indoors | February 8 β February 23 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Cabbage | Start indoors | February 8 β February 23 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Collards | Start indoors | February 8 β February 23 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kale | Start indoors | February 8 β February 23 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Leaf Lettuce | Start indoors | February 8 β February 23 | 6 wk before |
| π« Peas | Direct sow | February 8 β February 23 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Spinach | Direct sow | February 8 β February 23 | 6 wk before |
| π Sweet Potato | Start indoors | February 8 β February 23 | 6 wk before |
| π Tomatoes | Start indoors | February 8 β February 23 | 6 wk before |
| π₯¬ Bok Choy | Start indoors | February 15 β March 2 | 5 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kohlrabi | Start indoors | February 15 β March 2 | 5 wk before |
| π₯¬ Swiss Chard | Start indoors | February 15 β March 2 | 5 wk before |
| π₯¬ Arugula | Direct sow | February 22 β March 9 | 4 wk before |
| π₯¬ Baby Salad Greens | Direct sow | February 22 β March 9 | 4 wk before |
| π₯ Beets | Direct sow | February 22 β March 9 | 4 wk before |
| π§ Green Onions | Direct sow | February 22 β March 9 | 4 wk before |
| π₯¬ Mustard Greens | Direct sow | February 22 β March 9 | 4 wk before |
| πΆοΈ Okra | Start indoors | February 22 β March 9 | 4 wk before |
| π± Radishes | Direct sow | February 22 β March 9 | 4 wk before |
| π₯ Turnips | Direct sow | February 22 β March 9 | 4 wk before |
| π₯¬ Cabbage | Set out | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯ Carrots | Direct sow | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Collards | Direct sow | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Collards | Set out | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯ Cucumbers | Start indoors | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π§ Green Onions | Set out | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kale | Direct sow | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kale | Set out | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kohlrabi | Direct sow | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Kohlrabi | Set out | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Leaf Lettuce | Direct sow | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π Pumpkins | Start indoors | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π Summer Squash | Start indoors | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π Winter Squash | Start indoors | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯ Zucchini | Start indoors | March 1 β March 16 | 3 wk before |
| π₯¬ Bok Choy | Direct sow | March 8 β March 23 | 2 wk before |
| π₯¬ Bok Choy | Set out | March 8 β March 23 | 2 wk before |
| π₯¦ Broccoli | Set out | March 8 β March 23 | 2 wk before |
| πΏ Cilantro | Direct sow | March 8 β March 23 | 2 wk before |
| π₯¬ Leaf Lettuce | Set out | March 8 β March 23 | 2 wk before |
| π₯¬ Swiss Chard | Direct sow | March 8 β March 23 | 2 wk before |
| π₯¬ Swiss Chard | Set out | March 8 β March 23 | 2 wk before |
| πΏ Dill | Direct sow | March 15 β March 30 | 1 wk before |
| π« Bush Beans | Direct sow | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π₯ Cucumbers | Set out | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π Pumpkins | Direct sow | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π Pumpkins | Set out | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π Summer Squash | Direct sow | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π Summer Squash | Set out | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π½ Sweet Corn | Direct sow | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π Tomatoes | Set out | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π Winter Squash | Direct sow | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π Winter Squash | Set out | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π₯ Zucchini | Direct sow | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π₯ Zucchini | Set out | March 29 β April 13 | 1 wk after |
| π₯ Cucumbers | Direct sow | April 5 β April 20 | 2 wk after |
| πΆοΈ Okra | Direct sow | April 5 β April 20 | 2 wk after |
| πΆοΈ Okra | Set out | April 5 β April 20 | 2 wk after |
| πΆοΈ Peppers | Set out | April 5 β April 20 | 2 wk after |
| π« Southern Peas | Direct sow | April 5 β April 20 | 2 wk after |
| π Sweet Potato | Set out | April 5 β April 20 | 2 wk after |
Offsets are published guidance; the dates they land on are computed from measured NOAA normals. The seed-starting tool does this for your own ZIP code and counts the days.
What lives through a zone 8a winter
Of 74 perennial edibles, 57 come through a zone 8a winter β and 8 fail here for being too warm rather than too cold, needing more winter chill than this county gets or more heat than they tolerate. Among the ones that work: Apple, Aronia, Elderberry, Summer Raspberry, Asparagus, Horseradish, Rhubarb, Sunchoke.
Hardiness ranges are a judgement, published by growers rather than measured; the zone they are compared against is measured. On a warm-end verdict, check with your local extension service β a coastal zone 8 and an inland zone 8 are not the same summer.
Cautious β shortens the seasonMedian across stationsOptimistic
- Last spring freeze
- Plan to April 21 to be careful. Median March 22 β April 6 across 4 stations; March 3 is the optimistic end.
- First fall freeze
- Plan to October 17 to be careful. Median October 30 β November 11 across 4 stations; November 30 is the optimistic end.
NOAA publishes these as probabilities, not averages β the middle figure is a median, so half of years fall either side of it. The cautious end is the 10% tail: in roughly nine years in ten the freeze falls on the safe side of it.
The 4 stations behind these numbers
All 4 NOAA stations whose normals this page quotes, spanning about 48 km north to south. Every one is named with its identifier in the station list below β this page does not single one out, because no one station speaks for a whole county.
A relative sketch, not a map with a projection: longitude is adjusted for latitude so the shape is not stretched, and there is no basemap. For the one station nearest a specific address, with its real distance, use the ZIP lookup above.
These are the stations this county's ZIP codes actually cite as nearest β not a claim that each one sits inside its boundary, since a rural ZIP legitimately reaches over it. Every figure above comes from them, and each is named so you can check it.
| Station | NOAA ID | Last spring freeze | First fall freeze | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Greenwood, SC | USC00384896 | April 1 | November 4 | 217 days |
| Little Mtn, SC | USC00385200 | March 22 | November 11 | 234 days |
| Newberry, SC | USC00386209 | March 31 | November 7 | 223 days |
| Union 8 S, SC | USC00388786 | April 6 | October 30 | 207 days |
These are medians, not averages β NOAA publishes freeze dates as a probability distribution, and half of years freeze later than the date shown.
Your own ZIP
Work out your own dates
This page describes a whole county. Every tool below answers for one ZIP code, which is the grain the underlying data is published at.
Other places to compare
Newberry County sits in South Carolina. That page carries the whole state's zone spread, its metro areas, and every other county in it with a page here.
More of South Carolina
- Chesterfield County, SC 8a
- Williamsburg County, SC 8b
- Greenwood County, SC 8a
- Orangeburg County, SC 8b
- Colleton County, SC 8bβ9a
- Oconee County, SC 8aβ8b
Counties with the same zones β 8a
Matched on the exact zone set, not a dominant zone, so the winter answer on these pages really is the same one as here.
Gear
If you want to act on this
Each link opens an Amazon search rather than a product we picked. We have not tested these and do not rank them β the search is the honest version, and you choose.
- Row cover and frost clothThe season here closes at the first fall freeze dated above β a cover buys back some of those days at the end.
- MulchFor the perennials nearest their cold limit in zone 8a, where an insulated crown is what decides whether they come back.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. That costs you nothing extra, and it buys no influence over anything on this site: the dates come from NOAA normals and the zones from the USDA, and no product affects either.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
Hardiness zones are the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, published per ZIP code by PRISM at Oregon State. Freeze dates and growing-season lengths are NOAA 1991β2020 Climate Normals, taken per station and cited above by name and NOAA ID.
County boundaries come from the Census ZCTA-to-county relation, which is what places each ZIP code β and which treats parishes, boroughs and census areas as county equivalents. No station is chosen to represent this county: every range above is taken across all of them and the count is stated, because picking one would be a judgement dressed as a measurement.