When to Plant Onions in Maryland
Maryland gardeners get two different answers depending on where they live: fall planting for overwintering onions near the Chesapeake, and a…
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.
The Best Onion Varieties for Maryland
Maryland sits at 39.17 degrees north, measured at the Baltimore-Washington reference station, where the longest day of the year delivers 14 hours and 45…
Watering a Garden in Maryland: How Much, How Often, and the Local Rules
Maryland gardens live or die on two things: how hot it gets and how the rain falls, or doesn’t, when it matters most.
Maryland Soil: What You Are Digging Into, and How to Improve It
Dig a spade into most Maryland ground and you’ll hit sandy, reddish-brown soil that drains fast and resists your effort to make a mudpie out of it.
Flowers That Actually Thrive in Maryland, and the Ones That Struggle
A look at which flowers handle Maryland’s humid summers and cold snaps well, and which ones need extra care or don’t survive winter.
Planting Spring Bulbs in Maryland: What Will Come Back, and What Will Not
Spring bulbs go into Maryland soil once the ground has cooled but before it locks up hard, and the good news is simple: this state’s winters run cold…
The Maryland Apple Calendar, Stage by Stage
A stage-by-stage Maryland apple calendar keyed to NOAA’s Baltimore frost windows, with adjustments for western mountains and the Eastern Shore.
The Best Apple Varieties for Maryland
Maryland’s frost dates, winter chill, and regional differences from the Eastern Shore to Garrett County determine which apple types will actually bear fruit here.
Firewood in Maryland: Which Woods Your Winter Actually Needs
The coldest month at Baltimore averages a low of 25.4°F, and that single number should shape every firewood decision you make in Maryland this year: how…
When to Carve a Pumpkin in Maryland
Maryland’s mean first fall frost lands around October 26 to November 5, a window that straddles Halloween itself rather than falling safely before or…