What Grows in Mauldin, South Carolina

USDA Zones 8a · 8K acres

Mauldin, South Carolina, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

Expect cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens to be strong candidates here; the deciding factors on any one parcel stay local — soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Mauldin, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Mauldin lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Mauldin — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Mauldin — the short answer

Mauldin, South Carolina: USDA zone 8a, about 262 days between hard freezes, across 8K acres of city.

USDA zone
8a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 11
Greenville County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 28
Greenville County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~262
Greenville County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
City area
8K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are Greenville County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

8a8a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 8a is Mauldin's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Mauldin's 262-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Mauldin

Each reading below is measured for Mauldin itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

From county records

Mauldin runs about 262 days between hard freezes (read from Greenville County, the closest normal to Mauldin) — close to year-round growing.

Frost is rarely the limit here; winter plantings are as real as summer ones, and the harder question is which crops shrug off the summer heat.

Grow cool-season crops through the mild winter, and choose heat-tolerant varieties for the summer beds.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Mauldin sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Mauldin is in

Mauldin sits in the Piedmont — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Mauldin's own centroid rather than borrowed from Greenville County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Mauldin

Every plant below cleared Mauldin's own zone 8a and its 262-day season. Each card opens that plant's South Carolina profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in South CarolinaZones 2–11Mauldin's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
South Carolina fig guideZones 6–10Mauldin's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in South CarolinaZones 6–10Mauldin's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: South Carolina growing notesZones 2–11Mauldin's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Growing prickly pear in South CarolinaZones 5–10Mauldin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
South Carolina lavender guideZones 5–8Mauldin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in South CarolinaZones 2–10Mauldin's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: South Carolina growing notesZones 6–9Mauldin's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Growing rosemary in South CarolinaZones 8–10Mauldin's 8a is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
South Carolina kale guideZones 2–11Mauldin's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in South CarolinaZones 4–9Mauldin's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: South Carolina growing notesZones 2–11Mauldin's 262 days clear the ~70 it needs.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in South CarolinaZones 7–10Mauldin's 8a — 1 zone of cold margin.
okra, photograph
South Carolina okra guideZones 2–12Mauldin's 262 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in South CarolinaZones 2–11Mauldin's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: South Carolina growing notesZones 3–10Mauldin's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in South CarolinaZones 2–11Mauldin's 262 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
South Carolina apache plume guideZones 5–11Mauldin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in South CarolinaZones 3–8Mauldin's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: South Carolina growing notesZones 3–8Mauldin's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in South CarolinaMauldin's 262 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
South Carolina holly guideZones 5–11Mauldin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in South CarolinaZones 7–10Mauldin's 8a — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: South Carolina growing notesZones 6–8Mauldin's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in South CarolinaZones 4–10Mauldin's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
South Carolina ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Mauldin's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in South CarolinaZones 5–11Mauldin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: South Carolina growing notesZones 5–11Mauldin's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in South CarolinaZones 5–10Mauldin's 262 days clear the ~45 it needs.
blue grama, photograph
South Carolina blue grama guideZones 3–10Mauldin's 262 days clear the ~90 it needs.

Is it too late to plant in Mauldin?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 11; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 11 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 28 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. In a climate this gentle, “too late” hardly applies — the question becomes which crops prefer the cooler months ahead.

Documented around Mauldin

Survey cells within 31 miles of Mauldin checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 47 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Mauldin

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Mauldin. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. METROMONT MATERIALSToxics Release Inventory · 250 ft
  2. ED'S CORNER MARTUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  3. CROSSROADS CHEVROLETUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  4. MAULDIN POLICE & FIREUnderground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  5. SATTERFIELD USED CARSUnderground Storage Tanks · 1800 ft
  6. FAMILY DOLLAR 8337Brownfields · 1800 ft
  7. ACE 6015-SHEALYSUnderground Storage Tanks · 1800 ft
  8. KINGS EXXONUnderground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  9. SANITATION DEPTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  10. JIFFY LUBE 123Underground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  11. CHEVRON 211985AUnderground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  12. SPINX 120Underground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Mauldin's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Mauldin.

Total Sites

1,943

within ~10 miles of Mauldin

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

16 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Mauldin

High4Moderate412Low1,527

Highest-Severity Sites

Golden Strip Septic Tank Service
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Para-Chem Southern, INC.
Superfund · Superfund NPL
U.S. Finishing
Superfund · Superfund NPL
3M Film Plant
Toxics Release Inventory · 29606MCMPNPERIM

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Mauldin, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 177 sites within ~10 miles of Mauldin. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Mauldin

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Mauldin average

Your land is one point inside Mauldin

Everything above resolves to Mauldin as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 8K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Greenville County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this city’s own centroid. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at city scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Mauldin Average

Mauldin Average

  • USDA Zones 8a, averaged across Mauldin
  • One soil character for all of Mauldin
  • Frost dates read at Mauldin's scale: Mar 11 to Nov 28

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Mauldin's 8a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Mauldin

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Mauldin, South Carolina — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Mauldin averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Mauldin averages 262Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Mauldin — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Mauldin average

How we know this about Mauldin

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this city’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Greenville County’s record, because none resolves here; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at city grain anywhere on this page — there is no city-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Mauldin

When does frost risk typically end in Mauldin?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Mauldin typically lands around Mar 11, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about Apr 1.

When is the first frost in Mauldin?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Mauldin typically arrives around Nov 28, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 14, so the watching starts about Oct 29 — about 262 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Mauldin?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Mauldin sees about 262 frost-free days — roughly Mar 11 through Nov 28, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 1 to Nov 14, about 227 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Mauldin?

The federal record around Mauldin runs heavier than most — 1,943 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (1,032), the nearest Toxics Release Inventory record under a tenth of a mile out — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Mauldin?

From about Oct 29 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Nov 28 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Nov 28. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Mauldin's scale — its 8a band and its 262-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Mauldin's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Mauldin’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Mauldin's own scale — the 7,946 acres it covers and 1,943 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Mauldin's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 1,943 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Mauldin, the closest Toxics Release Inventory record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Mauldin's boundary and the 7,946 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8a and a ~262-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Mauldin's own centroid, the PiedmontUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Mauldin checked, none carrying a detectionlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Mauldin has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Greenville County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Mauldin's 7,946 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Greenville County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Greenville County
  • The growing challenges every South Carolina grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom South Carolina
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Greenville County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Mauldin's 7,946 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Mauldin you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 7,946 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Toxics Release Inventory record under a tenth of a mile out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Mauldin-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address