When to plant in Croom, MD
Planting dates worked out from Croom's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 18
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 26
1 year in 10 by Oct 13
Frost-free days
200
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Upper Marlboro 3 Nnw · 11.0 km away · station 40 m, town 72 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 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 12 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 17 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 7 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 23 |
| Peas | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | May 8 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | May 31 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 22 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 1 |
| Kale | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 3 |
| Broccoli | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | May 13 |
| Cucumber | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 7 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 2 |
| Winter squash | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | Jun 10 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | Jun 12 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 12 – Nov 9 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | Apr 21 |
| Basil | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 14 |
Croom'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 |
|---|---|
| 1957 | May 5 |
| 1958 | Apr 4 |
| 1959 | Apr 13 |
| 1960 | May 2 |
| 1961 | Apr 21 |
| 1962 | May 10 |
| 1963 | Apr 25 |
| 1964 | Apr 27 |
| 1965 | Apr 17 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | Apr 26 |
| 1968 | May 7 |
| 1969 | Apr 13 |
| 1970 | Apr 17 |
| 1971 | Apr 15 |
| 1972 | Apr 28 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | May 8 |
| 1975 | Apr 23 |
| 1976 | May 9 |
| 1977 | Apr 10 |
| 1978 | Apr 23 |
| 1979 | Apr 11 |
| 1980 | Apr 18 |
| 1981 | Apr 22 |
| 1982 | Apr 12 |
| 1983 | Apr 17 |
| 1984 | Apr 10 |
| 1985 | Apr 11 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | Apr 1 |
| 1988 | Apr 20 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 4 |
| 1996 | Apr 8 |
| 1997 | Apr 11 |
| 1998 | Apr 11 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 20 |
| 2002 | Apr 8 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2007 | Apr 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 3 |
| 2013 | Apr 22 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 1 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1957 | 159 |
| 1958 | 184 |
| 1959 | 185 |
| 1960 | 171 |
| 1961 | 166 |
| 1962 | 167 |
| 1963 | 151 |
| 1964 | 162 |
| 1965 | 171 |
| 1966 | 148 |
| 1967 | 169 |
| 1968 | 151 |
| 1969 | 187 |
| 1970 | 213 |
| 1971 | 203 |
| 1972 | 164 |
| 1973 | 189 |
| 1974 | 138 |
| 1975 | 190 |
| 1976 | 155 |
| 1977 | 190 |
| 1978 | 168 |
| 1979 | 181 |
| 1980 | 178 |
| 1981 | 173 |
| 1982 | 188 |
| 1983 | 195 |
| 1984 | 211 |
| 1985 | 197 |
| 1986 | 155 |
| 1987 | 190 |
| 1988 | 169 |
| 1990 | 183 |
| 1991 | 186 |
| 1996 | 208 |
| 1997 | 194 |
| 1998 | 194 |
| 2000 | 202 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 206 |
| 2003 | 205 |
| 2004 | 216 |
| 2005 | 194 |
| 2007 | 197 |
| 2008 | 186 |
| 2009 | 207 |
| 2010 | 218 |
| 2011 | 206 |
| 2012 | 192 |
| 2013 | 186 |
| 2014 | 204 |
| 2015 | 200 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1957 | 20.4 °C |
| 1958 | 19.3 °C |
| 1959 | 20.6 °C |
| 1960 | 19.7 °C |
| 1961 | 19.2 °C |
| 1962 | 19.3 °C |
| 1963 | 18.8 °C |
| 1964 | 19.3 °C |
| 1965 | 19.6 °C |
| 1966 | 18.9 °C |
| 1967 | 18.4 °C |
| 1968 | 19.8 °C |
| 1969 | 20.2 °C |
| 1970 | 20.3 °C |
| 1971 | 19.3 °C |
| 1972 | 19.1 °C |
| 1973 | 20.2 °C |
| 1974 | 19.3 °C |
| 1975 | 19.4 °C |
| 1976 | 18.9 °C |
| 1977 | 20.5 °C |
| 1978 | 19.7 °C |
| 1979 | 19.2 °C |
| 1980 | 20.6 °C |
| 1982 | 19.2 °C |
| 1983 | 19.6 °C |
| 1984 | 19.3 °C |
| 1985 | 20.0 °C |
| 1986 | 19.7 °C |
| 1987 | 20.7 °C |
| 1988 | 19.9 °C |
| 1989 | 19.2 °C |
| 1990 | 18.6 °C |
| 1991 | 21.1 °C |
| 1996 | 19.6 °C |
| 1997 | 18.8 °C |
| 1998 | 20.8 °C |
| 2000 | 19.6 °C |
| 2001 | 19.7 °C |
| 2002 | 21.2 °C |
| 2003 | 19.7 °C |
| 2004 | 20.9 °C |
| 2005 | 20.8 °C |
| 2007 | 20.8 °C |
| 2008 | 20.4 °C |
| 2009 | 20.3 °C |
| 2010 | 22.1 °C |
| 2011 | 21.8 °C |
| 2012 | 21.5 °C |
| 2013 | 20.3 °C |
| 2014 | 20.1 °C |
| 2015 | 21.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1957, Croom's last spring frost has come about 3 days 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 Upper Marlboro 3 Nnw (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.