Gaithersburg, MD 20884 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Gaithersburg, MD?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/01, roughly 216 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/06, about 219 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Gaithersburg in Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 10 weeks of growing season left in Gaithersburg before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/19 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/15 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gaithersburg compares
At roughly 219 frost-free days, Gaithersburg places 12,936 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within MD, it ranks 209 of 583.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Gaithersburg's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Gaithersburg's dates instead of trusting one.