Baltimore, Maryland: freeze dates & growing season

Three different things get called “Baltimore” here, so this page is explicit about all three: the metro label (Baltimore), the anchor geography (Census ZCTA 21202, a downtown ZIP-code area), and the climate record (the NOAA station below). Windows are calculated from the station — not from your street address.

Climate basis: NOAA station Md Sci Ctr Baltimore, MD (USW00093784), 1 mi (2 km) from the ZCTA 21202 centroid, elevation 20 ft, on the 1991–2020 climate normals.

Last spring freezeMarch 241-in-10 after Apr 4

First fall freezeNovember 211-in-10 before Nov 7

Frost-free season≈ 244 daysmedian at 32°F

Hard freeze, 28°Mar 11 – Dec 5kills even hardy greens

USDA zone8a10 to 15°F winter low — not frost timing

The year

indoors under lights
in the garden
frost-free season
1-in-10 years still freeze to Apr 4

The Baltimore year: hatched areas are the freeze-likely seasons in 1991–2020 normals.

What that means in practice

Tomatoes: plant March 31 – April 14
Peas: plant February 10 – February 24
Garlic: plant cloves November 28 – December 5

All 79 crops in Baltimore

These windows describe typical years (1991–2020 climate normals), not this year's forecast. Freezes happen outside them — especially in frost pockets, valleys, and urban edges. Watch the forecast before committing tender plants.

Check a specific ZIP instead

Metro climates vary — elevation, water, and urban heat shift freeze dates by days to weeks. Look up your exact ZIP:

Nearby reviewed metros

Washington, DC · Philadelphia, PA · Richmond, VA · New York, NY · Pittsburgh, PA