Silver Spring, MD · zone 7b · ~209 frost-free days
When to plant in Silver Spring: frost dates and zone 7b.
In Silver Spring, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 7 and the first fall frost around Nov 2, giving you about 209 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Silver Spring, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 3 to May 3 | Apr 14 to Jun 14 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Feb 28 to Apr 14 | Aug 19 to Oct 18 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 28 to Apr 2 | Aug 7 to Sep 2 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 7 to May 28 | Jul 19 to Aug 21 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 14 to Jul 14 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 12 to May 3 | Apr 23 to Jun 14 | — |
| Kale | Jan 17 to Feb 14 | Feb 28 to Mar 28 | Aug 2 to Sep 17 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 14 to Mar 28 | Aug 19 to Oct 7 |
Silver Spring sits in Zone 7b, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Silver Spring garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 20910 in about 60 seconds.
Silver Spring planting questions
What planting zone is Silver Spring, MD?+
Silver Spring is in USDA hardiness zone 7b. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 7b here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Silver Spring?+
The typical last spring frost in Silver Spring, MD is around Apr 7. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Silver Spring?+
The typical first fall frost in Silver Spring, MD arrives around Nov 2, closing a growing season of roughly 209 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Silver Spring?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Apr 7. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.