USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 20778 — West River, Maryland
Averages from Annapolis Police Brks, MD US, the nearest reporting station, 11.4 miles away.
Plant tender crops after March 27, and expect the first autumn freeze around November 13. That leaves about 234 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- March 27
- First fall frost
- November 13
- Growing season
- 234 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
10 to 15°F annual low
- First snow
- December 20
- Last snow
- February 18
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 15.9"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
19 of 19 observed
NOAA normal
When it snows in West River, Maryland
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in West River, Maryland usually arrives around December 20, and the last of the season around February 18. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Upper Marlboro 3 Nnw, MD US, 11.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow.
For a gardener, snow matters less than frost: a light snow on frozen ground changes nothing, while a hard frost on an unprotected bed ends the season. Use the frost dates above for planting and the snow dates for getting hoses drained, mulch down and tender pots indoors.
Planting calendar for 20778
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 16 – January 30 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 30 – February 13 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 27 – March 13 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 27 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 21 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 30 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 13 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after March 27 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in West River, Maryland are past their last freeze. Harvest before November 13, which leaves roughly 234 frost-free days.
ZIP 20778 sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 10 to 15°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.