Elkton, MD 21920 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Elkton, MD?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/07, roughly 222 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/01, about 209 frost-free days later.
Zone 7a (0 to 5°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 Elkton, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Elkton before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Elkton's last frost
04/07 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/26 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/21 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Elkton compares
Elkton's growing season runs about 209 days, ranking 15,169 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MD, it ranks 338 of 583.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Elkton's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Elkton's dates instead of trusting one.