What Grows in Woodlawn, Maryland

USDA Zones 7b · 733 acres

Woodlawn, Maryland, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b — enough range to grow cool-season vegetables, hardy fruit, and warm-season crops that mature before the first hard frost.

On paper, cabbage, prickly pear, california poppy, and collard greens all suit these conditions — on the ground, soil, sun, and drainage make the final call.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Woodlawn, 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 Woodlawn 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 Woodlawn — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Woodlawn — the short answer

Woodlawn, Maryland: USDA zone 7b, about 238 days between hard freezes, across 733 acres of town.

USDA zone
7b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 23
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 16
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~238
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
733 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

7b7b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7b is Woodlawn's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Woodlawn's 238-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Woodlawn

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

Season length

Measured

Woodlawn runs about 238 days between hard freezes — a long growing season.

There is slack for succession plantings and slow-finishing crops: many vegetables can be sown twice, and the heat-lovers have time to ripen fully.

Plan a second sowing of quick crops after the first comes out, and use the fall window most gardeners let sit idle.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Woodlawn sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b.

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.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Woodlawn is in

Woodlawn sits in the Southeastern Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Woodlawn's own centroid rather than borrowed from Prince George's County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Woodlawn

Every plant below cleared Woodlawn's own zone 7b and its 238-day season. Each card opens that plant's Maryland profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in MarylandZones 2–11Woodlawn's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Maryland prickly pear guideZones 5–10Woodlawn's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in MarylandZones 6–10Woodlawn's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Maryland growing notesZones 2–11Woodlawn's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Growing fig in MarylandZones 6–10Woodlawn's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Maryland lavender guideZones 5–8Woodlawn's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in MarylandZones 2–10Woodlawn's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: Maryland growing notesZones 6–9Woodlawn's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in MarylandWoodlawn's 238 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Maryland kale guideZones 2–11Woodlawn's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in MarylandZones 4–9Woodlawn's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Maryland growing notesZones 2–11Woodlawn's 238 days clear the ~70 it needs.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in MarylandZones 5–9Woodlawn's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Maryland okra guideZones 2–12Woodlawn's 238 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in MarylandZones 2–11Woodlawn's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Maryland growing notesZones 3–10Woodlawn's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in MarylandZones 2–11Woodlawn's 238 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Maryland apache plume guideZones 5–11Woodlawn's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in MarylandZones 3–8Woodlawn's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Maryland growing notesZones 3–8Woodlawn's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in MarylandWoodlawn's 238 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Maryland holly guideZones 5–11Woodlawn's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in MarylandZones 3–9Woodlawn's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Maryland growing notesZones 6–8Woodlawn's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in MarylandZones 4–10Woodlawn's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Maryland ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Woodlawn's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in MarylandZones 2–7Woodlawn's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: Maryland growing notesZones 5–11Woodlawn's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in MarylandZones 5–10Woodlawn's 238 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Maryland ajuga guideZones 5–11Woodlawn's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Woodlawn?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 23; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 23 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 16 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. A long window like this one runs successions deep into fall — and even its last weeks take quick greens and garlic.

Documented around Woodlawn

Spotted lanternfly documented 3 miles from Woodlawn, first recorded 2021. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Woodlawn

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

  1. Landover Hills Fire Dept. Co. #30Underground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  2. S.M. DRY CLEANERSBrownfields · 2100 ft
  3. PEP BOYS NO 378 THEBrownfields · 2100 ft
  4. GASCO/Landover Hills Lowest PriceUnderground Storage Tanks · 2200 ft
  5. WOODRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLBrownfields · 2300 ft
  6. Landmark #6710 (Valero)Underground Storage Tanks · 2500 ft
  7. FAMILY DOLLAR #2292Brownfields · 0.5 mi
  8. ROBERT'S DRY CLEANING OF MARYLANDBrownfields · 0.5 mi
  9. Global Montello Group Corp #1772Underground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  10. SHERWIN-WILLIAMS #705010Brownfields · 0.7 mi
  11. NO. 1 CLEANERSBrownfields · 0.7 mi
  12. New Carrollton MobilUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi

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

Measured from Woodlawn'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 Woodlawn.

Total Sites

4,771

within ~10 miles of Woodlawn

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

61 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Woodlawn

High4Moderate887Low3,880

Highest-Severity Sites

City of Bowie, Md
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Beaverdam Creek PCB
Superfund · Superfund (Non-NPL)
Nasa - Goddard Space Flight Center
Superfund · Superfund (Non-NPL)
Peeler'S Cleaners
Superfund · Superfund (Non-NPL)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Woodlawn, Superfund runs higher than the national average — 61 sites within ~10 miles of Woodlawn. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.

Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Woodlawn

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 Woodlawn average

Your land is one point inside Woodlawn

Everything above resolves to Woodlawn as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 733 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 Woodlawn Average

Woodlawn Average

  • USDA Zones 7b, averaged across Woodlawn
  • One soil character for all of Woodlawn
  • Frost dates read at Woodlawn's scale: Mar 23 to Nov 16

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Woodlawn's 7b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Woodlawn

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Woodlawn averages 238Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Woodlawn

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 Woodlawn’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 Woodlawn

When does frost risk typically end in Woodlawn?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Woodlawn typically lands around Mar 23, 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 Apr 13.

When is the first frost in Woodlawn?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Woodlawn typically arrives around Nov 16, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 2, so the watching starts about Oct 17 — about 238 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Woodlawn?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Woodlawn sees about 238 frost-free days — roughly Mar 23 through Nov 16, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 13 to Nov 2, about 203 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Woodlawn?

The federal record around Woodlawn is a meaningful one — 4,771 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (2,552), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Woodlawn?

From about Oct 17 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 Nov 16 (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 Nov 16. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Woodlawn's scale — its 7b band and its 238-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Woodlawn'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 Woodlawn’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Woodlawn's own scale — its own ~238-day season between 28°F freezes, the 733 acres it covers and 4,771 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Woodlawn's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Woodlawn's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 23 and Nov 16 and the ~238-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 4,771 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Woodlawn, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Woodlawn's boundary and the 733 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7b and a ~238-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Woodlawn's own centroid, the Southeastern PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Woodlawnlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Woodlawn's 733 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Prince George's County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Prince George's 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 Prince George's County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Woodlawn's 733 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Woodlawn you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 733 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles 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 Woodlawn-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Maryland

Wider growing context

What grows across Maryland

Woodlawn sits outside our named growing regions, so Maryland as a whole is its closest context here.