When to plant in Charlestown (near Beechfield), MD
Planting dates worked out from Charlestown (near Beechfield)'s own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 8
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 30
1 year in 10 by Oct 20
Frost-free days
204
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Baltimore-Washington Intl Ap · 10.7 km away · station 42 m, town 98 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 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 21 |
| Peas | — | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | May 6 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 1 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 21 |
| Beet | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 11 |
| Potato | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 31 |
| Kale | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | May 1 |
| Broccoli | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | May 11 |
| Cucumber | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 3 |
| Winter squash | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jul 8 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | Jun 10 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 16 – Nov 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | Apr 19 |
| Basil | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 15 |
Charlestown (near Beechfield)'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 |
|---|---|
| 1940 | Apr 14 |
| 1941 | Mar 31 |
| 1942 | Mar 29 |
| 1943 | Apr 16 |
| 1944 | Apr 5 |
| 1945 | Mar 8 |
| 1946 | Mar 12 |
| 1947 | Mar 31 |
| 1948 | Mar 29 |
| 1949 | Mar 20 |
| 1950 | Apr 15 |
| 1951 | Apr 18 |
| 1952 | Apr 8 |
| 1953 | Apr 20 |
| 1954 | Apr 10 |
| 1955 | Apr 8 |
| 1956 | Apr 25 |
| 1957 | Apr 15 |
| 1958 | Mar 24 |
| 1959 | Mar 29 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Apr 30 |
| 1962 | Apr 17 |
| 1963 | Apr 16 |
| 1964 | Apr 10 |
| 1965 | Apr 17 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | Apr 12 |
| 1968 | Apr 7 |
| 1969 | Apr 13 |
| 1970 | Apr 11 |
| 1971 | Apr 15 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | Apr 20 |
| 1975 | Apr 14 |
| 1976 | Apr 12 |
| 1977 | Apr 10 |
| 1978 | Mar 20 |
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1980 | Apr 17 |
| 1981 | Apr 16 |
| 1982 | Apr 23 |
| 1983 | Apr 21 |
| 1984 | Apr 10 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Mar 28 |
| 1987 | Apr 1 |
| 1988 | Apr 20 |
| 1989 | Apr 23 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 3 |
| 1992 | Apr 4 |
| 1993 | Apr 8 |
| 1994 | Mar 26 |
| 1995 | Apr 6 |
| 1996 | Apr 18 |
| 1997 | Apr 16 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | Apr 6 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 26 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 24 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Mar 23 |
| 2007 | Apr 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 3 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Apr 2 |
| 2012 | Apr 3 |
| 2013 | Apr 4 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 1 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Apr 21 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | Apr 19 |
| 2021 | Apr 3 |
| 2022 | Apr 29 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Mar 26 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1940 | 187 |
| 1941 | 225 |
| 1942 | 229 |
| 1943 | 214 |
| 1944 | 234 |
| 1945 | 241 |
| 1946 | 256 |
| 1947 | 228 |
| 1948 | 254 |
| 1949 | 246 |
| 1950 | 194 |
| 1951 | 198 |
| 1952 | 194 |
| 1953 | 199 |
| 1954 | 203 |
| 1955 | 211 |
| 1956 | 168 |
| 1957 | 180 |
| 1958 | 227 |
| 1959 | 213 |
| 1960 | 197 |
| 1961 | 180 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 201 |
| 1964 | 180 |
| 1965 | 191 |
| 1966 | 162 |
| 1967 | 190 |
| 1968 | 206 |
| 1969 | 192 |
| 1970 | 219 |
| 1971 | 203 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1973 | 204 |
| 1974 | 166 |
| 1975 | 199 |
| 1976 | 189 |
| 1977 | 216 |
| 1978 | 233 |
| 1979 | 214 |
| 1980 | 192 |
| 1981 | 186 |
| 1982 | 177 |
| 1983 | 191 |
| 1984 | 211 |
| 1985 | 201 |
| 1986 | 229 |
| 1987 | 207 |
| 1988 | 175 |
| 1989 | 194 |
| 1990 | 190 |
| 1991 | 200 |
| 1992 | 198 |
| 1993 | 207 |
| 1994 | 230 |
| 1995 | 212 |
| 1996 | 198 |
| 1997 | 189 |
| 1998 | 201 |
| 1999 | 211 |
| 2000 | 198 |
| 2001 | 164 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 182 |
| 2004 | 216 |
| 2005 | 194 |
| 2006 | 203 |
| 2007 | 207 |
| 2008 | 199 |
| 2009 | 204 |
| 2010 | 219 |
| 2011 | 210 |
| 2012 | 215 |
| 2013 | 204 |
| 2014 | 204 |
| 2015 | 200 |
| 2016 | 198 |
| 2017 | 230 |
| 2018 | 183 |
| 2019 | 213 |
| 2020 | 212 |
| 2021 | 214 |
| 2022 | 198 |
| 2023 | 225 |
| 2024 | 204 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1940 | 19.9 °C |
| 1941 | 21.5 °C |
| 1942 | 21.6 °C |
| 1943 | 21.1 °C |
| 1944 | 21.4 °C |
| 1945 | 21.1 °C |
| 1946 | 20.4 °C |
| 1947 | 20.6 °C |
| 1948 | 20.7 °C |
| 1949 | 21.2 °C |
| 1950 | 19.5 °C |
| 1951 | 20.2 °C |
| 1952 | 20.7 °C |
| 1953 | 20.8 °C |
| 1954 | 20.2 °C |
| 1955 | 20.9 °C |
| 1956 | 19.2 °C |
| 1957 | 20.7 °C |
| 1958 | 19.6 °C |
| 1959 | 21.4 °C |
| 1960 | 20.4 °C |
| 1961 | 19.8 °C |
| 1962 | 19.8 °C |
| 1963 | 19.4 °C |
| 1964 | 20.0 °C |
| 1965 | 20.3 °C |
| 1966 | 19.9 °C |
| 1967 | 19.1 °C |
| 1968 | 20.5 °C |
| 1969 | 21.1 °C |
| 1970 | 21.2 °C |
| 1971 | 20.1 °C |
| 1972 | 19.7 °C |
| 1973 | 20.1 °C |
| 1974 | 19.7 °C |
| 1975 | 20.2 °C |
| 1976 | 20.2 °C |
| 1977 | 21.6 °C |
| 1978 | 20.5 °C |
| 1979 | 20.1 °C |
| 1980 | 21.3 °C |
| 1981 | 20.5 °C |
| 1982 | 19.6 °C |
| 1983 | 20.4 °C |
| 1984 | 19.3 °C |
| 1985 | 20.5 °C |
| 1986 | 20.8 °C |
| 1987 | 20.9 °C |
| 1988 | 20.6 °C |
| 1989 | 20.0 °C |
| 1990 | 20.3 °C |
| 1991 | 21.8 °C |
| 1992 | 19.3 °C |
| 1993 | 20.7 °C |
| 1994 | 21.1 °C |
| 1995 | 21.7 °C |
| 1996 | 19.6 °C |
| 1997 | 19.3 °C |
| 1998 | 20.9 °C |
| 1999 | 20.5 °C |
| 2000 | 19.5 °C |
| 2001 | 20.0 °C |
| 2002 | 21.1 °C |
| 2003 | 19.4 °C |
| 2004 | 20.7 °C |
| 2005 | 20.7 °C |
| 2006 | 20.9 °C |
| 2007 | 20.7 °C |
| 2008 | 20.4 °C |
| 2009 | 20.0 °C |
| 2010 | 22.4 °C |
| 2011 | 21.8 °C |
| 2012 | 21.7 °C |
| 2013 | 20.6 °C |
| 2014 | 20.0 °C |
| 2015 | 21.3 °C |
| 2016 | 21.1 °C |
| 2017 | 20.9 °C |
| 2018 | 21.5 °C |
| 2019 | 22.6 °C |
| 2020 | 21.2 °C |
| 2021 | 21.8 °C |
| 2022 | 21.6 °C |
| 2023 | 21.6 °C |
| 2024 | 22.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1940, Charlestown (near Beechfield)'s last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Baltimore-Washington Intl Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.