Yes — Strong Match
pecan (zones 5-9) covers every zone South Carolina contains (7a-9b), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
Pecan in South Carolina — the short answer
Pecan in South Carolina: hardy in zones 5–9, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 5-9
- Rated hardy to zone 5 by NCSU Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: NCSU Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-06).
- South Carolina zones
- 7a-9b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Feb 27 - Mar 12 – Nov 23 - Dec 1
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 237 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- To first harvest
- ~5 years
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
South Carolina spans zones 7a-9b, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score pecan against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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South Carolina is not one climate
South Carolina’s winter-low ladder runs across 46 counties, from zone 8 in Abbeville County to zone 9 in Jasper County. That is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between pecan overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 46 counties runs 8–8.5 zones, with a median of 8.5 zones — a 1-zone span end to end.
Measured across 46 South Carolina counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in South Carolina Fits Best
Even within South Carolina's zones 7a-9b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for pecan (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Pecan Needs
- USDA Zones: 5-9
- Sun: Full SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Mature size: 120 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
South Carolina Has
- USDA Zones: 7a-9b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 27 - Mar 12
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 23 - Dec 1
- Annual Rainfall: 45-55 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Sandy loam (Coastal), Alluvial
Plant Zone Range (zones 5-9)
Preferred Soil pH
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Pecan in South Carolina
The frost window
Across South Carolina, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 27 and Mar 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 23 and Dec 1 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 256-day window you can count on — up to 277 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
South Carolina runs as cold as USDA zone 7, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for pecan, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether pecan is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within South Carolina; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says pecan survives winter here. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Growing degree days
Pecan needs ~3500 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~5233 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so South Carolina's typical season clears that easily.
Chill hours
Pecan requires ~500 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). South Carolina typically banks ~1278 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), which keeps this plant on track.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Pecan likes near-neutral soil (pH 5-7.5). That's the common-ground band across South Carolina's red clay (piedmont) and sandy loam (coastal) — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a South Carolina soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your South Carolina site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. pH range, preferred pH and drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. South Carolina soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant pecan for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before pecan goes in. What follows is South Carolina’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across South Carolina — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across South Carolina — 17,886 documented sites across 6 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 256 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
South Carolina carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds of imported, lab-tested soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across South Carolina
Severity Distribution
across South Carolina
Highest-Severity Sites
Know Before You Grow
- •Underground tanks leak petroleum as they age — near a former filling station, test the soil.
- •TRI facilities report what they release. Check the wind — downwind beds catch more of it.
- •Near a brownfield, a raised bed of imported, lab-tested soil lowers contact with the ground; it does not remove it.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Pecan in South Carolina
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but South Carolina growers also need to think about:
Red Piedmont clay requires amendment for drainage
High heat and humidity promote diseases
Hurricane risk along the coast
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every South Carolina grower, not just pecan — is covered on the South Carolina growing guide.
Where in South Carolina Pecan Is Zone-Hardy
Pecan is rated for USDA zones 5–9. Every one of South Carolina’s 46 counties sits inside that band — from Abbeville County at zone 8a to Jasper County at zone 9a — so winter cold is not what decides this plant anywhere in the state. What is left to vary is your own parcel: slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from the county figure.
Across those 46 counties South Carolina’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 8a in Abbeville County to zone 9a in Jasper County — 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Chester County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Mar 22, while Charleston County is clear by Feb 1 — 49 days apart. Set pecan out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Pecan’s zone 5–9 band: Rated hardy to zone 5 by NCSU Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: NCSU Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-06).. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
South Carolina Cooperative Extension
For South Carolina-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for pecan, the canonical source is Clemson Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Pecan native to South Carolina?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Pecan as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in South Carolina, but it does not say whether those South Carolina plants are native or introduced. Your state's native plant society or Cooperative Extension can tell you whether it is part of the local flora.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Pecan in South Carolina
When can I plant Pecan in South Carolina?
South Carolina's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 27 and Mar 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 23 and Dec 1 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Pecan, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in South Carolina and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Pecan grown in across South Carolina?
South Carolina spans USDA hardiness zones 7a-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Pecan carries a range of zones 5-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical South Carolina site have?
A typical South Carolina site sees ~265 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Pecan needs 140+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Pecan native to South Carolina?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Pecan as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in South Carolina, but it does not say whether those South Carolina plants are native or introduced. Your state's native plant society or Cooperative Extension can tell you whether it is part of the local flora.
How should I amend the soil for Pecan in South Carolina?
Pecan prefers pH 5-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That sits in the common-ground band across South Carolina soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Pecan actually grow on my specific land in South Carolina?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores pecan against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in South Carolina
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores pecan against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that South Carolina pecan averages can't show:
We read public map data around South Carolina — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the South Carolina pecan average
Explore More
Growing guides for pecan
Explore South Carolina county by county
South Carolina carries 46 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for pecan there:
Where else pecan grows
Pecan's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to South Carolina in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in South Carolina
South Carolina has a growing page for 1,029 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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