Laurel, MD 21144 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Laurel, MD?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/10, about 225 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/31, about 204 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Laurel 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 9 weeks of growing season left in Laurel 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
04/10 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/27 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/25 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Laurel compares
At roughly 204 frost-free days, Laurel places 16,513 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within MD, it ranks 372 of 583.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Laurel's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Laurel's dates instead of trusting one.