When to plant in Sykesville, MD
Planting dates worked out from Sykesville's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 15
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 4
Frost-free days
199
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Damascus 3 Ssw · 25.7 km away · station 213 m, town 166 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 14 – Mar 28 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 3 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 8 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 11 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 27 |
| Peas | — | Mar 17 – Apr 14 | May 11 |
| Bush beans | — | May 2 – May 23 | Jun 21 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 27 – May 8 | May 26 |
| Beet | — | Mar 27 – May 8 | May 16 |
| Potato | — | Mar 27 – Apr 17 | Jun 5 |
| Kale | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 6 |
| Broccoli | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 17 |
| Cucumber | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jun 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jun 23 |
| Winter squash | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 28 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 2 – May 23 | Jul 1 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | Jun 16 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 17 – Apr 14 | Apr 24 |
| Basil | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 5 |
Sykesville'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 |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | May 8 |
| 1996 | May 14 |
| 1997 | May 8 |
| 1998 | Apr 6 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 12 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Mar 27 |
| 2013 | May 14 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 1 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Apr 21 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 29 |
| 2023 | Apr 9 |
| 2024 | Apr 22 |
| 2025 | Apr 17 |
| 2026 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 185 |
| 1995 | 161 |
| 1996 | 142 |
| 1997 | 146 |
| 1998 | 212 |
| 1999 | 221 |
| 2000 | 178 |
| 2001 | 171 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2004 | 216 |
| 2005 | 176 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 199 |
| 2009 | 188 |
| 2010 | 219 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 199 |
| 2013 | 164 |
| 2014 | 203 |
| 2015 | 199 |
| 2016 | 215 |
| 2017 | 230 |
| 2018 | 183 |
| 2019 | 212 |
| 2020 | 173 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 193 |
| 2023 | 205 |
| 2024 | 204 |
| 2025 | 206 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 19.1 °C |
| 1994 | 18.8 °C |
| 1995 | 18.7 °C |
| 1996 | 18.1 °C |
| 1997 | 17.7 °C |
| 1998 | 19.8 °C |
| 1999 | 19.5 °C |
| 2000 | 18.6 °C |
| 2001 | 19.0 °C |
| 2002 | 19.9 °C |
| 2004 | 19.8 °C |
| 2005 | 19.7 °C |
| 2006 | 19.3 °C |
| 2007 | 19.5 °C |
| 2009 | 19.1 °C |
| 2010 | 21.2 °C |
| 2011 | 20.6 °C |
| 2012 | 19.9 °C |
| 2013 | 19.0 °C |
| 2014 | 18.8 °C |
| 2015 | 20.1 °C |
| 2016 | 19.8 °C |
| 2017 | 19.6 °C |
| 2018 | 19.8 °C |
| 2019 | 20.6 °C |
| 2020 | 19.1 °C |
| 2021 | 19.7 °C |
| 2022 | 19.6 °C |
| 2023 | 19.5 °C |
| 2024 | 20.4 °C |
| 2025 | 20.2 °C |
| 2026 | 20.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1994, Sykesville's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 9 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Damascus 3 Ssw (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.