Maryland Planting Zones by City and ZIP Code
Maryland runs from zones 6a to 8a; 61% of its ZIPs are 7b, Baltimore is 8a and Annapolis is 7b.
Maryland runs from zones 6a to 8a
The coldest night of the winter averages -10°F to -5°F in the coldest of Maryland’s ZIP codes and 10°F to 15°F in the warmest. Most of the state is zone 7b.
Planting zones of Maryland cities
| City | Zone | Coldest night, on average | Since 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore21202 | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (7b) |
| Annapolis21401 | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | same as 2012 |
| Frederick21701 | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | same as 2012 |
| Hagerstown21740 | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (6b) |
| Salisbury21801 | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | same as 2012 |
| Cumberland21502 | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | same as 2012 |
Tap a ZIP for that address’s frost dates and this month’s jobs.
Find your zone anywhere in Maryland
A ZIP code or a town gives you its zone, how it moved since 2012, the frost dates at the nearest NOAA station, and the jobs for this month timed from them.
What to plant in Maryland this month
The calendar for each of Maryland's main zones, from vegetables to pruning and winter protection, each job tied to the extension page it comes from. Pick a month, or read the whole year below it.
Timed from the median frost dates of the 17 NOAA stations in Maryland’s zone 7b: last spring frost Apr 9, first fall frost Nov 1. Your own ZIP’s frost dates move every window, so the ZIP tool times them for you.
Pick a month above to see every job in it.
The year at a glance
- Start vegetable seeds indoorsJan to Apr
- Sow vegetables in the gardenMar to Apr
- Sow the fall vegetable gardenJul to Sep
- Set out transplantsMar to Apr
- Plant trees and shrubsFeb 26 to Apr 23 and Oct 18 to Dec 6
- Plant garlicOct 18 to Nov 22
- Plant tulips and other spring bulbsNov 8 to Nov 15
- Divide fall-blooming perennialsMar 19 to Apr 30
- Divide spring and summer-blooming perennialsSep 20 to Nov 1
- Prune trees and summer-flowering shrubs while dormantJan 29 to Mar 12
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they bloomMar 26 to May 21
- Put hardware cloth around young tree trunksNov 1 to Dec 13
- Cut back perennials after a hard freezeNov 8 to Dec 6
What changed in Maryland since 2012
Every ZIP on both mapsCompared ZIP by ZIP from the 2023 and 2012 USDA tables; 598 Maryland ZIP codes appear in both.
Why Maryland’s zones moved
Of the cities above, Baltimore went from 7b to 8a and Hagerstown went from 6b to 7a.
The USDA explains the national picture: “When compared to the 2012 map, the 2023 version reveals that about half of the country shifted to the next warmer half zone, and the other half of the country remained in the same half zone.” The new map uses 1991 to 2020 and more than 13,000 weather stations, so it draws Maryland’s hills, valleys and cities more finely than the 2012 map did.
A warmer zone changes which perennials and shrubs come through the winter, not when the garden gets planted; that still follows the frost dates.
Frost dates and seed starting in Maryland
Maryland planting zone questions
Planting zones by state
Sources. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP code tables (2023 and 2012), PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University; USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map (USDA Agricultural Research Service, November 15, 2023); NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal, by station (v1.0.1); NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Zones are read from the PRISM ZIP code tables, read Oct 9, 2026; a ZIP code’s zone is the zone at its center. The calendar’s extension sources are listed on the planting zones page and under each job.