When to plant in Cobb Island, MD
Planting dates worked out from Cobb Island's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 22
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 12
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 30
1 year in 10 by Oct 19
Frost-free days
205
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Mechanicsville 5 Ne · 28.0 km away · station 30 m, town 3 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 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 16 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 21 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 8 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 24 |
| Peas | — | Mar 8 – Apr 5 | May 2 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 4 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 21 |
| Beet | — | Mar 21 – May 2 | May 10 |
| Potato | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 31 |
| Kale | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 27 |
| Broccoli | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | May 14 |
| Cucumber | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 11 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 6 |
| Winter squash | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jul 11 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 14 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | Jun 13 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 16 – Nov 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 8 – Apr 5 | Apr 15 |
| Basil | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 18 |
Cobb Island'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 22 |
| 1976 | Apr 14 |
| 1977 | Apr 10 |
| 1978 | Mar 31 |
| 1979 | Apr 11 |
| 1980 | Apr 17 |
| 1981 | Apr 22 |
| 1982 | Apr 22 |
| 1983 | Apr 21 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | Apr 27 |
| 1988 | Apr 20 |
| 1989 | Apr 14 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 4 |
| 1992 | Apr 5 |
| 1993 | Apr 28 |
| 1994 | Apr 23 |
| 1995 | Apr 6 |
| 1996 | Apr 18 |
| 1997 | Apr 15 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | Apr 6 |
| 2000 | Apr 1 |
| 2001 | Apr 26 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 17 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 12 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 14 |
| 2010 | Mar 29 |
| 2011 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | Apr 22 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 6 |
| 2016 | Apr 15 |
| 2017 | Mar 25 |
| 2018 | Apr 19 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Apr 19 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 5 |
| 2023 | Apr 12 |
| 2024 | Mar 31 |
| 2025 | Apr 10 |
| 2026 | Apr 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 164 |
| 1983 | 191 |
| 1985 | 201 |
| 1986 | 193 |
| 1987 | 164 |
| 1988 | 171 |
| 1989 | 203 |
| 1990 | 190 |
| 1991 | 186 |
| 1992 | 197 |
| 1993 | 178 |
| 1994 | 187 |
| 1995 | 212 |
| 1996 | 198 |
| 1997 | 190 |
| 1998 | 206 |
| 1999 | 211 |
| 2000 | 210 |
| 2001 | 165 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 205 |
| 2004 | 205 |
| 2005 | 194 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 209 |
| 2008 | 185 |
| 2009 | 203 |
| 2010 | 217 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2013 | 185 |
| 2014 | 203 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2016 | 210 |
| 2017 | 230 |
| 2018 | 205 |
| 2019 | 212 |
| 2020 | 212 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 222 |
| 2023 | 203 |
| 2024 | 226 |
| 2025 | 206 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 20.1 °C |
| 1976 | 20.1 °C |
| 1977 | 20.7 °C |
| 1979 | 19.6 °C |
| 1980 | 21.6 °C |
| 1981 | 20.1 °C |
| 1983 | 20.6 °C |
| 1985 | 20.5 °C |
| 1986 | 20.5 °C |
| 1987 | 20.8 °C |
| 1988 | 20.2 °C |
| 1989 | 20.0 °C |
| 1990 | 19.8 °C |
| 1991 | 21.3 °C |
| 1992 | 19.0 °C |
| 1993 | 20.5 °C |
| 1994 | 20.4 °C |
| 1995 | 20.5 °C |
| 1996 | 19.7 °C |
| 1997 | 19.0 °C |
| 1998 | 20.9 °C |
| 1999 | 20.6 °C |
| 2000 | 19.9 °C |
| 2001 | 19.8 °C |
| 2002 | 21.3 °C |
| 2003 | 19.8 °C |
| 2004 | 20.1 °C |
| 2005 | 19.9 °C |
| 2006 | 19.9 °C |
| 2007 | 19.9 °C |
| 2008 | 19.6 °C |
| 2009 | 19.4 °C |
| 2010 | 21.1 °C |
| 2011 | 20.7 °C |
| 2013 | 19.5 °C |
| 2014 | 19.4 °C |
| 2015 | 20.3 °C |
| 2016 | 20.0 °C |
| 2017 | 20.1 °C |
| 2018 | 20.7 °C |
| 2019 | 20.8 °C |
| 2020 | 19.5 °C |
| 2021 | 20.0 °C |
| 2022 | 19.7 °C |
| 2023 | 19.4 °C |
| 2024 | 20.5 °C |
| 2025 | 20.2 °C |
| 2026 | 20.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1975, Cobb Island's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 7 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Mechanicsville 5 Ne (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.