When to plant · 11 cities · zones 8a–9a
When to plant cilantro in South Carolina
Direct sow cilantro around Mar 10 — the South Carolina statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Mar 24 across 424 ZIP codes and 100 NOAA stations.
The rule: Direct sow in 60–70 °F soil, a short row every two weeks from four weeks before the last frost until the heat arrives, then again from late summer.
South Carolina cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Mar 24, first fall frost Nov 8, 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.
| Cultivar | Start indoors | Sow | First harvest | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CilantroSlow Bolt (Coriandrum sativum) | Direct sow | Mar 10 | Apr 24 | 45 from sow |
Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost. Statewide dates are the ZIP-weighted median of every NOAA 1991–2020 station South Carolina's ZIP codes resolve to.
Cilantro in South Carolina, city by city
Cilantro, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.
| City | Last frost | Sow | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlestonzone 9a | Mar 7 | Feb 21 | Apr 7 |
| Columbiazone 8b | Mar 16 | Mar 2 | Apr 16 |
| North Charlestonzone 9a | Mar 7 | Feb 21 | Apr 7 |
| Mount Pleasantzone 9a | Mar 13 | Feb 27 | Apr 13 |
| Rock Hillzone 8a | Mar 27 | Mar 13 | Apr 27 |
| Greenvillezone 8a | Mar 28 | Mar 14 | Apr 28 |
| Summervillezone 8b | Mar 22 | Mar 8 | Apr 22 |
| Goose Creekzone 8b | Mar 7 | Feb 21 | Apr 7 |
| Greerzone 8a | Mar 28 | Mar 14 | Apr 28 |
| Sumterzone 8b | Mar 21 | Mar 7 | Apr 21 |
| Florencezone 8b | Mar 19 | Mar 5 | Apr 19 |
What these cilantro become
What South Carolina cilantro need
Cilantro / Coriander Seed
Bolts in a heartbeat and there is nothing you can do about it — so you succession-sow instead of fighting it. Non-negotiable in salsa verde and zhoug.
Organic Seed Starter Potting MixMust have
Seed-starting mix is not potting soil with a nicer label — it is finer, lighter, and low in nutrients on purpose, because a seedling's first roots want air and moisture, not fertiliser.
Ocean Forest Potting SoilMust have
Pre-charged with enough nutrition to carry a transplant for its first month without feeding, which is exactly the window when most container plants stall.
5-Gallon Fabric Grow Bags, 5-Pack
Fabric pots air-prune roots and drain faster than a plastic pot can, which is the entire reason container tomatoes fail. Five gallons is the honest minimum for a pepper; a tomato wants ten.
AG-30 Frost Protection Row Cover
AG-30 buys roughly 6 °F of frost protection while passing about 70% of light — enough to carry a crop through an early-October cold snap that would otherwise end your season two weeks short.
6" Micro-Tip Pruning SnipsMust have
Ninety percent of sauce-garden cutting is snipping a pepper stem or a basil node, and a fine-tipped snip does it better than any pruner. Pulling peppers by hand tears the branch.
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Cilantro in South Carolina: questions
When should I plant cilantro in South Carolina?
Direct sow around Mar 10 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Feb 20 in the warmest tenth of South Carolina's ZIP codes to Mar 23 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Apr 10 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in South Carolina?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Mar 24. In the warmest tenth of South Carolina's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Mar 6; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 6.
When will South Carolina cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around Apr 24: 45 days from sow.
More for South Carolina
- When to plant tomatoes
- When to plant peppers
- When to plant tomatillos
- When to plant basil
- When to plant carrots
- When to plant mustard greens
Cilantro in every state → · South Carolina frost dates → · How frost-date math works →