What to Plant in Maryland in October
October in Maryland straddles the line between last harvest and first frost. NOAA’s 1991-2020 climate data puts the state’s average first fall frost…
Gardening in Maryland
Everything we have worked out for Maryland: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Baltimore, the last spring freeze runs April 3 to April 16 and the first fall freeze runs October 26 to November 5, USDA zones 5b-8a, 3,994 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 21.8 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Maryland: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
What to Plant in Maryland in November
By November, most of Maryland has already crossed its first fall frost, a date that lands somewhere between October 26 and November 5 depending on where…
What to Plant in Maryland in May
May is Maryland’s turning point: the frost window that runs April 3 to April 16 across most of the state is behind you by the time the month opens, and…
What to Plant in Maryland in March
Maryland gardeners can put a real list into the ground in March: spinach, lettuce, peas, kale, radishes, turnips, and onion sets all tolerate the cold…
What to Plant in Maryland in June
June in Maryland means the frost window is behind you. With the last spring frost falling between April 3 and April 16 in most of the state, the soil has…
What to Plant in Maryland in July
July puts Maryland gardens squarely in the middle of the growing season, months clear of the last spring frost window of April 3 to April 16 and months…
What to Plant in Maryland in January
Nothing goes into open garden soil safely in Maryland in January. Soil sits too cold and the last spring frost falls anywhere from April 3 to April 16…
What to Plant in Maryland in February
February in Maryland sits weeks, sometimes months, ahead of the last frost, so almost nothing new goes into open soil this month.
What to Plant in Maryland in December
December in Maryland sits weeks past the first fall frost window of October 26 to November 5 and months before the last spring frost window of April 3 to…
What to Plant in Maryland in August
August in Maryland is a second planting season, not a pause between spring and fall.