When to plant in Hancock, MD
Planting dates worked out from Hancock's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 8
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 21
1 year in 10 by Oct 11
Frost-free days
185
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Martinsburg 2 · 31.7 km away · station 140 m, town 134 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 13 – Mar 27 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 2 |
| Peas | — | Mar 18 – Apr 15 | May 12 |
| Bush beans | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 20 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 30 – May 11 | May 29 |
| Beet | — | Mar 28 – May 9 | May 17 |
| Potato | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | Jun 8 |
| Kale | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | May 7 |
| Broccoli | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | May 22 |
| Cucumber | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 27 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 22 |
| Winter squash | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 30 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 21 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 7 – Nov 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 18 – Apr 15 | Apr 25 |
| Basil | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 4 |
Hancock'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 |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Apr 17 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2007 | Apr 12 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 17 |
| 2010 | May 11 |
| 2011 | Apr 2 |
| 2012 | Apr 26 |
| 2013 | May 14 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 13 |
| 2016 | Apr 16 |
| 2017 | Apr 10 |
| 2018 | Apr 22 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | Apr 20 |
| 2021 | Apr 24 |
| 2022 | May 1 |
| 2023 | Apr 26 |
| 2024 | Apr 23 |
| 2025 | Apr 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 176 |
| 2007 | 199 |
| 2008 | 185 |
| 2009 | 184 |
| 2010 | 164 |
| 2011 | 208 |
| 2012 | 169 |
| 2013 | 163 |
| 2014 | 203 |
| 2015 | 187 |
| 2016 | 192 |
| 2017 | 200 |
| 2018 | 179 |
| 2019 | 197 |
| 2020 | 179 |
| 2021 | 192 |
| 2022 | 171 |
| 2023 | 189 |
| 2024 | 187 |
| 2025 | 190 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 19.7 °C |
| 2007 | 19.2 °C |
| 2008 | 18.7 °C |
| 2009 | 18.8 °C |
| 2010 | 20.6 °C |
| 2011 | 20.3 °C |
| 2012 | 20.0 °C |
| 2013 | 19.5 °C |
| 2014 | 19.0 °C |
| 2015 | 20.1 °C |
| 2016 | 20.3 °C |
| 2017 | 19.5 °C |
| 2018 | 19.9 °C |
| 2019 | 20.6 °C |
| 2020 | 19.4 °C |
| 2021 | 20.0 °C |
| 2022 | 19.7 °C |
| 2023 | 19.5 °C |
| 2024 | 20.5 °C |
| 2025 | 20.3 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Martinsburg 2 (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.