Peach Country in South Carolina: Season and Orchards

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The peach is South Carolina's official fruit, and Clemson Extension says the state ranks second in fresh peach production. Season, the Peachoid and festival facts below come from Clemson, the state tourism office and organizer pages.

State FruitPeachper state code
PeachoidGaffneywater tower
SeasonMay-Augper SC tourism office
CheckedOct 262026

What The Sources Say

'The peach is the official fruit of the State.' SC Code Section 1-1-680, 1984 Act No. 360, SECTION 2. source
Clemson Extension peach FAQ: the top three U.S. peach-producing states are California (#1), South Carolina (#2) and Georgia (#3); it also says SC currently produces more peaches annually than Georgia. Georgia is nicknamed 'The Peach State' and SC 'The Tastier Peach State'. source
Clemson Extension peach page: SC ranks second in fresh peach production behind California and grows more than 50 peach varieties. source
Clemson HGIC: peach varieties ripen in the Upstate of South Carolina from mid-June to mid-September (photo caption). Its harvest table (dates for Byron, Georgia) runs from early May to early August, and says Piedmont and mountain areas ripen about 7 to 10 days later and Coastal Plain areas about 7 to 10 days earlier. source
SC PRT says peaches are in season May through August. source
Clemson Extension FAQ: in 1935 Spartanburg County had 233 packing houses and over three million peach trees. source
Clemson news (March 6, 2023) reports growers attending the 2023 Ridge Peach Meeting in Edgefield, SC. source
Peachoid, Gaffney: SC PRT says it is a water tank holding one million gallons, shaped like a peach with stem, leaves and cleft, about 135 feet tall, at the eastern end of the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway (S.C. 11), visible from we-85, and Gaffney's best-known landmark. source
South Carolina Peach Festival, Gaffney (organizer site southcarolinapeachfest.com, 2026): the page lists Peach Jam in the Park on July 19, 2026, concert at 6 PM, Jolly Park, and mentions a pageant, parade, dessert contest and Lake Whelchel Bass Tournament without dates. Full 2026 schedule not shown on the page. source
Upcountry SC listing: the festival is held annually since 1977 in July at Henry L. Jolly Park, 102 Railroad Ave, Gaffney SC 29340; features a Peach Dessert Contest, parade and Peach Jam concert. That listing's own year labels are inconsistent (2026, 2027, 2028), so do not use its dates. source
SC PRT: Lexington County hosts an annual Peach Festival each summer. source

What We Could Not Confirm

Not confirmed: we looked for these on official pages and did not find them. Check with the town or operator before you rely on them.

Note this differs from SC PRT, which puts light tomato in the Pee Dee.
South Carolina Barbecue Association: searched for sauce-style / whole-hog pages; no usable official page found.
Shrimp baiting 2026 exact open/close dates: no SCDNR 2026 announcement found. The rule (noon on last Friday on or before Sept. 15, 60 days) is stated by SCDNR; 2026 dates would be inferred, so not given. Also 2026 commercial shrimp opening date not found (2025 only).
1976 grits designation: the actual act/resolution text was not found on scstatehouse.gov; only the 2014 resolution's recital.
Sweet tea: statute text says 'South Carolina grown tea'; PRT says 'sweet tea'. Summerville birthplace claim is the town's tourism claim; independent historical support not verified (a Charleston City Paper piece from 2013 questions it, but not an approved source and not read).
Charleston Tea Garden hours, factory tour price and trolley price: charlestonteagarden.com did not load for us on every fetch. unofficial summary only (Mon-Sat 10-4, Sun 12-4, free factory tour, trolley from $16 adult) – NOT verified, do not publish without re-fetch.
Peach county list (Edgefield, Saluda, Aiken, Lexington, Spartanburg, Cherokee): no read official page lists current main peach counties. SC Dept of Agriculture Market Bulletin PDF (Aug 2, 2018) could not be read. Only Edgefield (Ridge Peach Meeting) and Spartanburg (1935 figure) appear in read pages.
Peach season months: Clemson HGIC says mid-June to mid-September in the Upstate; SC PRT says May through August; the two differ by region and source.
Peachoid official Gaffney/Cherokee County page not found; only SC PRT description used.
SC Peach Festival 2026 full day-by-day dates: not on organizer page; only July 19, 2026 concert. 2027 dates not stated.
Ridge Peach Festival (Trenton) and Johnston Peach Blossom Festival: only a 2020 listing on visitold96sc.com; no organizer page found, no 2026 dates.
Pelion Peanut Party 2026 dates: organizer page (Facebook) gave no date; only a 2023 newspaper report.
Green peanut season: SC Dept of Agriculture says summer and fall; Clemson specific maturity guidance came from unofficial summary only and was not read.
Collard greens and peach second-in-nation figures: SC PRT's collard 'second nationally' claim not checked against USDA.
State Farmers Market exact open/close hours: official page says only 'Monday through Sunday, vendor hours may vary'.
Carolina Gold rice history, she-crab soup from Charleston CVB (charlestoncvb.com pages not read), pimento cheese: no official SC source found.

Sources

Read on October 26, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.

Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “Peach Country in South Carolina”, itssouthcarolina.com/things-to-do/food-and-drink/peach-country-south-carolina/ (updated 2026-10-26). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.