What Grows in Accident, Maryland

USDA Zones 6a · 316 acres

Accident, Maryland, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6a — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.

Among the crops suited to this profile: cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens. The site-level story — soil, sun, drainage — decides the rest.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Accident, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Accident lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Accident — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Accident — the short answer

Accident, Maryland: USDA zone 6a, about 187 days between hard freezes, across 316 acres of town.

USDA zone
6a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 21
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 25
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~187
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
316 acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. Hard-freeze dates are this town’s own 28°F normals: light frosts run a few weeks past them, and tender transplants usually wait 2–3 weeks after the last hard freeze.

Hardiness Zone Range

6a6a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)
Your USDA zone 6aSee the zone map →

Zone 6a is Accident's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Accident's 187-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Accident

Each reading below is measured for Accident itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

Measured

Accident runs about 187 days between hard freezes — a moderate growing season.

There is room for the full run of cool-season crops plus a warm-season main crop, but the calendar is tight enough that a late spring or early fall frost still decides how much finishes.

Time warm-season transplants to your last hard freeze, and a few weeks of season extension turns a near-miss harvest into a sure one.

Buying weeks at each end

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Accident sits in USDA hardiness zone 6a.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

How hardiness zones work

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Accident is in

Accident sits in the Ridge and Valley — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Accident's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Garrett County is mostly Central Appalachians. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Accident

Every plant below cleared Accident's own zone 6a and its 187-day season. Each card opens that plant's Maryland profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in MarylandZones 2–11Accident's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Maryland hazelnut guideZones 4–9Accident's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in MarylandZones 5–8Accident's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Maryland growing notesZones 2–11Accident's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in MarylandZones 5–8Accident's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Maryland california poppy guideZones 6–10Accident's 6a is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in MarylandZones 2–10Accident's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Cranberry: Maryland growing notesZones 2–7Accident's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in MarylandZones 3–8Accident's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Maryland kale guideZones 2–11Accident's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw in MarylandZones 5–9Accident's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Turkish rocket: Maryland growing notesAccident's 187 days clear the ~90 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in MarylandZones 2–11Accident's 187 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Maryland okra guideZones 2–12Accident's 187 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in MarylandZones 2–11Accident's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Maryland growing notesZones 3–8Accident's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in MarylandZones 2–11Accident's 187 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Maryland azalea guideZones 4–8Accident's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in MarylandZones 3–8Accident's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Maryland growing notesZones 3–10Accident's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in MarylandAccident's 187 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Maryland lilac guideZones 4–10Accident's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in MarylandZones 3–8Accident's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Maryland growing notesZones 6–8Accident's 6a is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in MarylandZones 3–9Accident's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Maryland ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Accident's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in MarylandZones 2–7Accident's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Blue spruce: Maryland growing notesZones 2–8Accident's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in MarylandZones 2–10Accident's 187 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Maryland canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Accident's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Accident?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 24; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 21 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 25 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Late in the year the fall bench takes over — quick greens, radishes, and garlic that repays you next summer.

Documented around Accident

Spotted lanternfly documented 5 miles from Accident, first recorded 2023. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Accident

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Accident. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. Verizon Communications - Accident CDO MD31080Underground Storage Tanks · 450 ft
  2. Accident GarageUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  3. Firefly FarmsUnderground Storage Tanks · 950 ft
  4. Greater Maryland Tool ManufacturerUnderground Storage Tanks · 950 ft
  5. Accident Post OfficeUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  6. Accident LibertyUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  7. GARRETT CONTAINER SYSTEMS INCBrownfields · 1200 ft
  8. Phenix TechnologiesUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  9. PHENIX TECHNOLOGIESBrownfields · 1400 ft
  10. W.H. Fratz, Inc.Underground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  11. Bruceton Farm Service, Inc. - FratzUnderground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  12. TETCO-Accident Storage FacilityUnderground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Accident's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Accident.

Total Sites

156

within ~10 miles of Accident

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

1 Toxics Release Inventory facility

Explore the live map
Underground Storage Tanks76Nitrate62Brownfields17Toxics Release Inventory1

Sources Checked

within ~10 miles of Accident

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Accident

High0Moderate83Low73

Highest-Severity Sites

7-Eleven #203
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Accident Liberty
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Arrowhead Market
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Bfs Foods #46
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Bfs Foods, INC. #69
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Accident, Nitrate runs higher than the national average — 62 sites within ~10 miles of Accident. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.

Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).

read your soil before you plantbuild soil that holds onto nitrogenSee what's flagged near Accident
Explore the contamination map around Accident·Maryland Growing Guide
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Check your specific parcel in Accident

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Accident average

Your land is one point inside Accident

Everything above resolves to Accident as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 316 acres. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at town scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Accident Average

Accident Average

  • ●USDA Zones 6a, averaged across Accident
  • ●One soil character for all of Accident
  • ●Frost dates read at Accident's scale: Apr 21 to Oct 25

YOUR Parcel

  • ✓Your exact zone, not Accident's 6a
  • ✓Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • ✓Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Accident

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Accident, Maryland — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Accident averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Accident averages 187Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Accident — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Accident average

How we know this about Accident

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Accident’s own record; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Accident

When does frost risk typically end in Accident?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Accident typically lands around Apr 21, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about May 12.

When is the first frost in Accident?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Accident typically arrives around Oct 25, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 11, so the watching starts about Sep 25 — about 187 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Accident?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Accident sees about 187 frost-free days — roughly Apr 21 through Oct 25, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 12 to Oct 11, about 152 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Accident?

The federal record around Accident shows 156 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (76), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile out — a typical footprint for a growing area, and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. It's worth seeing which recorded sites sit closest to where you grow, and testing the soil before new food beds near any of them.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Accident?

From about Sep 25 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Oct 25 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Oct 25. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Accident's scale — its 6a band and its 187-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Accident's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Accident’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Accident's own scale — its own ~187-day season between 28°F freezes, the 316 acres it covers and 156 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Accident's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Accident's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 21 and Oct 25 and the ~187-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 156 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Accident, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Accident's boundary and the 316 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6a and a ~187-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Accident sits in the Ridge and Valley — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Accidentlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Accident's 316 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Garrett County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Garrett County
  • The growing challenges every Maryland grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Maryland
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Garrett County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Accident's 316 acreswhy one lot differs from the next →
  • Which side of Accident you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 316 acresreading your own microclimate →
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record →
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Accident-wide figureread your own land →
The next step finer is your own address

More in Maryland

Garrett County Growing Guide·Maryland Growing Guide
USDA PHZM•NOAA Climate Normals•US Census TIGER•PRISM Climate•EPA FRS