Frost Report

All states Maryland

Frost dates for Perryville, MD

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

April 3

typical year

Safe to plant

April 18

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 6

typical year

Growing season

217 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Mar 6 – 20 –
Spinach – Feb 20 – Mar 13 Sep 11 – 25
Lettuce – Mar 6 – 27 Sep 11 – 25
Radishes – Mar 6 – Apr 17 Sep 25 – Oct 9
Onions – Mar 6 – 20 –
Potatoes – Mar 13 – 27 –
Carrots – Mar 13 – Apr 3 Aug 14 – 28
Beets – Mar 6 – 20 Aug 28 – Sep 11
Kale Jan 23 – Feb 6 Mar 6 – 20 Aug 28 – Sep 11
Broccoli Jan 23 – Feb 6 Mar 20 – Apr 3 Aug 28 – Sep 11
Cabbage Jan 9 – 23 Mar 6 – 20 Aug 28 – Sep 11
Garlic – – Sep 25 – Oct 16
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 21 – Mar 7 Apr 18 – May 2 –
Peppers Feb 14 – 28 Apr 25 – May 9 –
Cucumbers – Apr 18 – May 9 –
Zucchini – Apr 18 – May 16 –
Pumpkins – Apr 18 – May 9 –
Green beans – Apr 18 – Aug 28 –
Sweet corn – Apr 18 – May 16 –
Basil Mar 14 – 28 Apr 25 – May 2 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after April 18April 3March 22
Fall frost before October 26November 6November 19

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around March 24 (April 6 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 17.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 4 towns.

Perryville, Charlestown, Delta, PA, Port Deposit

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station CONOWINGO DAM, MD US (USC00182060), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 15 zip codes, all within 16 miles:

17314, 17563, 21028, 21034, 21050, 21084, 21132, 21154, 21160, 21901, 21903, 21904, 21914, 21917, 21918

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.