Oxford, MD 21662 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Oxford, MD?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/01, roughly 216 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/07, about 220 frost-free days later.
Oxford sits in USDA Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 10 weeks of growing season left in Oxford 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 03/18 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 Oxford compares
Oxford's growing season runs about 220 days, ranking 12,881 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MD, it ranks 193 of 583.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Oxford can differ from the 21662 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Oxford's frost date answer different questions.