Baltimore, MD 21214 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Baltimore, MD?
Around 04/02 is the usual last spring frost, about 217 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/07, about 220 frost-free days later.
Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Baltimore, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 10 weeks of growing season left in Baltimore before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/02 isn't a guarantee
04/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/20 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Baltimore compares
Baltimore's growing season runs about 220 days, ranking 12,644 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MD, it ranks 151 of 583.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Baltimore can differ from the 21214 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Baltimore's frost date answer different questions.