When to plant in Bel Air (near Cresaptown), MD
Planting dates worked out from Bel Air (near Cresaptown)'s own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 12
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 15
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 22
1 year in 10 by Oct 7
Frost-free days
186
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Cumberland 2 · 11.1 km away · station 222 m, town 212 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 6 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 11 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 11 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 27 |
| Peas | — | Mar 16 – Apr 13 | May 10 |
| Bush beans | — | May 5 – May 26 | Jun 24 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 25 |
| Beet | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 15 |
| Potato | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | Jun 4 |
| Kale | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 5 |
| Broccoli | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 17 |
| Cucumber | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 1 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jun 26 |
| Winter squash | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 31 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 5 – May 26 | Jul 4 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | Jun 16 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 8 – Nov 5 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 16 – Apr 13 | Apr 23 |
| Basil | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 8 |
Bel Air (near Cresaptown)'s weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Apr 14 |
| 1976 | May 5 |
| 1977 | May 8 |
| 1978 | Apr 30 |
| 1979 | Apr 10 |
| 1980 | May 10 |
| 1981 | Apr 20 |
| 1982 | Apr 29 |
| 1983 | May 9 |
| 1984 | Apr 10 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Apr 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 1 |
| 1988 | Apr 19 |
| 1989 | Apr 23 |
| 1990 | Apr 18 |
| 1991 | Apr 2 |
| 1992 | Apr 13 |
| 1993 | Apr 7 |
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | Apr 6 |
| 1996 | May 13 |
| 1997 | Apr 19 |
| 1998 | Apr 11 |
| 1999 | Apr 29 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | May 22 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 16 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Mar 28 |
| 2013 | May 14 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 3 |
| 2016 | Apr 14 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Apr 22 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | May 11 |
| 2021 | May 12 |
| 2022 | Apr 29 |
| 2023 | Apr 26 |
| 2024 | Apr 23 |
| 2025 | Apr 18 |
| 2026 | Apr 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1976 | 165 |
| 1977 | 156 |
| 1978 | 160 |
| 1979 | 186 |
| 1980 | 147 |
| 1981 | 178 |
| 1982 | 170 |
| 1983 | 172 |
| 1984 | 205 |
| 1985 | 197 |
| 1986 | 178 |
| 1987 | 189 |
| 1988 | 171 |
| 1989 | 167 |
| 1990 | 183 |
| 1991 | 187 |
| 1992 | 186 |
| 1993 | 175 |
| 1994 | 184 |
| 1996 | 150 |
| 1997 | 183 |
| 1998 | 206 |
| 1999 | 180 |
| 2000 | 197 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 147 |
| 2003 | 183 |
| 2004 | 193 |
| 2005 | 192 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 196 |
| 2008 | 186 |
| 2011 | 204 |
| 2012 | 198 |
| 2013 | 164 |
| 2014 | 203 |
| 2015 | 197 |
| 2016 | 211 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 179 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 172 |
| 2021 | 174 |
| 2022 | 173 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 187 |
| 2025 | 190 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 19.5 °C |
| 1976 | 19.4 °C |
| 1977 | 21.1 °C |
| 1978 | 20.1 °C |
| 1979 | 19.4 °C |
| 1980 | 20.4 °C |
| 1981 | 19.9 °C |
| 1982 | 19.0 °C |
| 1983 | 19.6 °C |
| 1984 | 18.9 °C |
| 1985 | 19.6 °C |
| 1986 | 20.0 °C |
| 1987 | 20.1 °C |
| 1988 | 19.8 °C |
| 1989 | 18.8 °C |
| 1990 | 18.8 °C |
| 1991 | 21.0 °C |
| 1992 | 18.2 °C |
| 1993 | 19.9 °C |
| 1994 | 19.4 °C |
| 1996 | 19.1 °C |
| 1997 | 18.5 °C |
| 1998 | 20.3 °C |
| 1999 | 20.1 °C |
| 2000 | 19.3 °C |
| 2001 | 19.2 °C |
| 2002 | 20.2 °C |
| 2003 | 19.0 °C |
| 2004 | 19.8 °C |
| 2005 | 20.7 °C |
| 2006 | 21.0 °C |
| 2007 | 20.5 °C |
| 2008 | 20.3 °C |
| 2010 | 22.3 °C |
| 2011 | 21.3 °C |
| 2012 | 20.4 °C |
| 2013 | 19.9 °C |
| 2014 | 19.4 °C |
| 2015 | 20.4 °C |
| 2016 | 20.5 °C |
| 2017 | 19.9 °C |
| 2018 | 20.2 °C |
| 2019 | 20.6 °C |
| 2020 | 19.6 °C |
| 2021 | 19.8 °C |
| 2022 | 20.0 °C |
| 2023 | 19.1 °C |
| 2024 | 20.4 °C |
| 2025 | 20.0 °C |
| 2026 | 20.3 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1975, Bel Air (near Cresaptown)'s last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 5 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Cumberland 2 (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.