When to plant in Pikesville, MD
Planting dates worked out from Pikesville's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Last spring frost
- Early · riskyMar 69 years in 10 still get a later frost
- TypicalMar 20about half of years get a later frost
- Safe to plant outMar 311 year in 10 gets a later frost
Hardy crops like peas and spinach are timed from the typical date. Wait for the safe date before planting out tomatoes, peppers and squash.
First fall frost
- EarlyNov 101 year in 10 has frost by then
- TypicalNov 29about half of years have had frost
- LateDec 199 years in 10 have had frost by then
A typical year has 248 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.
Station used: Maryland Sci Ctr · 14.1 km away · station 6 m, town 155 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 7 – Feb 21 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 29 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | Jun 3 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 26 – Feb 2 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 11 |
| Peas | — | Mar 2 – Mar 30 | Apr 26 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | May 19 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 14 – Apr 25 | May 13 |
| Beet | — | Mar 14 – Apr 25 | May 3 |
| Potato | — | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | May 23 |
| Kale | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 21 |
| Broccoli | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Mar 2 – Mar 23 | May 1 |
| Cucumber | Mar 7 – Mar 14 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 24 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 7 – Mar 14 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 19 |
| Winter squash | Mar 7 – Mar 14 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | Jun 23 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | May 29 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 2 – Mar 23 | May 31 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 3 – Dec 1 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 2 – Mar 30 | Apr 9 |
| Basil | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 31 |
Pikesville'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 |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Mar 12 |
| 2000 | Mar 18 |
| 2001 | Mar 28 |
| 2002 | Mar 23 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 5 |
| 2005 | Mar 15 |
| 2006 | Mar 21 |
| 2008 | Mar 10 |
| 2009 | Mar 24 |
| 2010 | Feb 27 |
| 2011 | Mar 3 |
| 2012 | Mar 6 |
| 2013 | Mar 22 |
| 2014 | Mar 27 |
| 2015 | Mar 29 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 23 |
| 2018 | Mar 20 |
| 2019 | Mar 8 |
| 2023 | Mar 20 |
| 2024 | Feb 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 262 |
| 2000 | 246 |
| 2001 | 268 |
| 2002 | 248 |
| 2003 | 222 |
| 2004 | 242 |
| 2005 | 247 |
| 2006 | 258 |
| 2008 | 252 |
| 2009 | 256 |
| 2010 | 279 |
| 2011 | 290 |
| 2012 | 299 |
| 2013 | 246 |
| 2014 | 232 |
| 2015 | 264 |
| 2016 | 242 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 235 |
| 2019 | 245 |
| 2023 | 252 |
| 2024 | 277 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 22.2 °C |
| 2000 | 21.3 °C |
| 2001 | 21.4 °C |
| 2002 | 22.6 °C |
| 2003 | 20.9 °C |
| 2004 | 22.4 °C |
| 2005 | 22.4 °C |
| 2006 | 22.6 °C |
| 2007 | 25.0 °C |
| 2008 | 22.0 °C |
| 2009 | 21.8 °C |
| 2010 | 24.0 °C |
| 2011 | 24.4 °C |
| 2012 | 24.3 °C |
| 2013 | 23.3 °C |
| 2014 | 21.6 °C |
| 2015 | 22.8 °C |
| 2016 | 22.6 °C |
| 2017 | 22.9 °C |
| 2018 | 23.2 °C |
| 2019 | 23.7 °C |
| 2023 | 23.1 °C |
| 2024 | 24.3 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Maryland Sci Ctr (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.