FrostDateCheck

Baltimore, MD 21225 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Baltimore, MD?

Zone 8a

Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 03/24, roughly 208 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/21, about 244 frost-free days later.

Zone 8a (10 to 15°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 12 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 03/24 isn't a guarantee

03/24 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/04 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Baltimore compares

Baltimore's growing season runs about 244 days, ranking 8,162 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MD, it ranks 31 of 583.

Learn more

the frost range covers how to read the range around Baltimore's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Baltimore can differ from the 21225 normal.