Last frost date in Zone 8a??

This will be my first time starting seeds in this zone, and I'm wondering what ya'll use for your typical last frost date? Someone told me that people around here use Easter as their last frost date, and I found a chart that showed April 15. I want to start planning my seeds for starting indoors, so wonder what date other seed-starters are using to plan?

Easter is a good, safe bet. You are right about the April 15 date, but last year, we hit 29 on Easter here in Wilmington, NC. Unusual, but not unheard of.
As far as starting seed inside goes, you can plan on the 15th. That's what I do. If the weather forecast calls for freezing temps after that, it's not a big deal to wait to plant.
Barb

Yep. I always went by March 31st, but after last spring's "Easter freeze", I decided that Good Friday might be a more reliable choice!
Most of the charts I've seen tho, do list March 31st.

Deb

Yes, that frost was a terrible surprise, I'd already put out tomato plants, because the weather had been so great for such a long stretch! I think I will use April 15 for my indoor seed starting purposes. Thanks Deb and Barbie!

While it will vary with location( all 8a's are not equal) April 15 is the target date here. Easter moves around the calendar from March to April, so it is not particularly reliable.

Dill, well don't I feel silly. May I just say - regarding my mention of Good Friday - DUH!? I tend to think of Easter as April - guess that's where my poor brain was headed. ...as opposed to the Mar. 30 date I used to go by.
:)
Deb

If you don't mind watching the weather forecast and organised to throw a couple of covers over your tender thingies you might get away with starting a month earlier... A couple of covers are good at retaining ground warmth through the night and perking the day temps when the sun is shining

Regards, andy
http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l42/adavisus/

Last year was an outlier. A weirdo. Probably won't happen again for another 20 years. But it WILL happen again (such is Mother Nature!). Someday. I'm still going to use 3/15 in my zone as the "break-point" between winter and spring, and plant accordingly... In spite of all the alarmists (Al Gore, et. al.) who predict it will be 120 degrees on 3/15... Mother Nature is way bigger than any Political Party ever imagined...just sayin'

I usually consider April 15 as the last frost date for the Midlands of South Carolina, but Mother Nature doesn't always consult charts. It's the sudden changes in temperatures that are the killers, but I like the idea of those covers, especially with containers.

I kinda joked April 15th seemed late when I started planting last year. I was itching to get stuff out and it was very warm in March. So I started planting around March 20th. Naturally, on the 15th of April we had a freeze/frost in Columbia. Luckily everything with protection survived - but it was a royal pain to move and protect stuff again.

So I'm waiting this year. We've had two freaky late freezes in a row in the spring. One in 2007 (around April 6) and again in 2008 (April 15).

A6, I've been wrestling with the same question today. Finally, checked out Bob Polomski's Month-By-Month Gardening in the Carolinas, published in 2000. As I read his Last Spring Freeze map, Manning's last frost date is March 31, which is what he shows for Northeast Columbia.

Still, keonikale's experience might argue for more caution. April 15 might be the safest date for your plans.

I agree. I use that date (4/15)....ok, I TRY to use that date. I just get too impatient!
Who knows what this spring temps will be.
Barb

It's very hard to wait when it's so warm - temps like last week all through March make it very tempting. This year I'll start by April 10th or so - once I see the forecast is clear through the 15th, I'll be happy. With my luck considering the past two years (and knock on wood) - we'd have a frost like April 25th.

I hope the really bad cold weather is over - it's certainly been a rough winter.

supposed to get to 29 here tonight, so back out come the sheets and blankets and on the tenders they go!

They're calling for 24F Thursday night now - ugh. When will it end... it was nearly 80F the other day.

I've tried different planting times ranging from Jan15th (tomatoes, in the GH) to April 15th in the garden. The problem I had was that the temps climb so rapidly in May and June that cool weather crops don't have time to mature before it gets too hot for them.. Even tomatoes are limited to a narrow window of productivity before it gets to hot for them to set fruit, no matter when I set them out. If I put warm weather crops out too early, they just languish until it starts heating up, then explode with growth---so I probably didn't gain anything. Soil temp plays a big role in this equation, but apparently not as big a role as I would have thought. This winter was the first time in 20 years where my soil temp dipped below 55 degrees (53 degrees last week), so it's much less radical than ambient air temps. By the middle to end of March, the soil temp is reliably 60 degrees, and keeps climbing slowly through September, where it usually peaks out around 75-78, and doesn't start dropping much until late November. So basically, I've decided it's a crap-shoot and Mother Nature is holding the dice.

The soil temp thing is interesting, I always figured we got pretty chilly here regarding soil temps, but in looking at maps like the below, I found out we're almost always fairly warm (considering). We have our cold soil days in the middle of winter (mid-Dec through Jan). Most of the bulbs I have say not to plant until the soil is at 50F. I guess I always assumed that meant late March. But according to the link below, that's pretty much from now until next December. Every single banana in the yard (that survived the bad teen temps) was growing like crazy again last week - they all put out new leaves. So the soil has definitely been warm enough for growth (though those 70+ days surely helped things along. Seems my EE bulbs are always the last to get started - usually late April or early May. Guess they just like to take their time and play it extra safe after the cold weather has passed.

http://www.greencastonline.com/SoilTempMaps.aspx

keonikale, I may not understand you correctly, but I believe the map showed the soil temperature for today only. Pretty interesting reference, by the way -- thanks!

I wonder if the pattern this time of year with balmy temperatures that lure plants into growth followed by sudden lows below freezing aren't often the culprit for plant damage or even death.

At least the very low temperatures we've had this winter seemed to follow a gradual cooling. Still, the temperatures sure stayed low for several days in a row.

I'll certainly be glad to see my plants return this spring!

Sorry for the confusion, it's a map of the current day only - I've just been watching it most of the winter to see what our temps were; doing averages and such. I think what usually harms stuff in the ground is when the temps get and stay cold. Everything growing didn't seem to flinch at the 26F from the other night, but tomorrow night and Fri night will be 25-26F both, so I'm worried about that. It's forecast to warm up again after that - up down up down, crazy.