October Lowcountry Almanac
With the tourists gone, the Lowcountry settles back into local hands.
Story by Bailey Gilliam
October in the Lowcountry feels like a gift. With the summer crowds gone, the beaches stretch wide, restaurant wait times shrink, and the pace settles into something gentler. Cooler air and marshes painted in gold create the perfect backdrop for oyster roasts, rounds of golf, bike rides and long walks by the water. Farmers markets overflow with pumpkins, collards and late-season okra, while evenings call for firepits, porch swings and lingering conversation. With guidance from the 2025 Old Farmer’s Almanac and Grow Great Vegetables South Carolina, this guide shares practical ways to make the most of it.
Night & day
Daylight noticeably shortens, and the sun takes on a softer, slanting glow this month.
Sunrise: 7:17 a.m.-7:39 a.m. (later each day)
Sunset: 6:33 p.m.-7:07 p.m. (earlier each day)
Weather predictions
Summer’s intensity finally begins to wane in October, though the Lowcountry often holds onto warmth well into the month. This month brings warmer-than-normal temperatures and lower-than-average rainfall.
Average temperature: 64 degrees (1 degree above average)
Rainfall: 1.5 inches (1.5 inches below average)
Forecast by week
Oct. 1-7: Sunny; warm, then turning cool.
Oct. 8-10: Sunny, warmer.
Oct. 11-23: Showers; warm, then cooler.
Oct. 24-26: Sunny, mild.
Oct. 27-31: Showers, then sunny; cool.
Astronomical events
October brings skywatching wonders, including a couple of meteor showers:
Oct. 7: This month’s full moon and super moon, also known as the hunter’s moon, will light up the night sky. The name dates from the time hunters stalked game for winter and cleared fields for better visibility of animals after the harvest.
Oct. 7: The Draconids meteor shower brings dramatic outbursts of
meteor showers.
Oct. 21: A new moon phase begins.
Oct. 21-22: The Orionid meteor shower, caused by Earth passing through the debris of Halley’s comet, features swift, bright meteors with potentially glowing trains.
In the garden
Cooler days, fewer bugs and less watering make October one of the easiest months to be in the garden.
Prep Set up cold frames, lay out row covers, and spread lime where needed. Weed and thin fall roots and greens, and prepare covers for lettuce, squash, cucumbers, spinach, celery, chard and cabbage. Begin weeding, fertilizing and mulching blueberries, raspberries, rhubarb and grapes.
Plant Sow more spinach, kale and other greens. Plant carrots, winter radishes, beets, fava beans, short-day onions and peas. Add annual row strawberries, perennial onions, shallots and garlic, and sow hardy cover crops to enrich the soil.
Harvest The October garden offers plenty: Asian greens, beans, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, Chinese cabbage, collards, corn, cowpeas, cucumbers, edamame, eggplant, horseradish, hot peppers, kohlrabi, leeks, mustards, okra, parsnips, peanuts, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, rutabagas, scallions, spaghetti squash, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, watermelons, winter squash and zucchini.
Best days
Looking for the perfect timing? The moon’s phases suggest October’s best days for these activities:
Fishing: Oct. 1-6, 21-31, when the tides and the bite are in your favor
Painting projects: Oct. 8-9, for color that sticks as well as the season
See the dentist: Oct. 17-18, because even teeth have their lucky days
Pumpkin picking: Oct. 17-18, when the patch is at its peak
Candy collecting: Oct. 31, the sweetest night of the year
Tides & currents
Stay in sync with the rhythms of the coast. Visit https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/noaatidepredictions.html?id=8669167&legacy=1 for up-to-date tide and current info from NOAA.
