Maryland Vegetable Planting Calendar (MD): Month Wise Garden Guide for Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, and Zone 8

You may wonder where to start if you’re new to gardening in Maryland or have never grown your vegetables. The very first thing you should do is check a planting calendar. Below we learn the Maryland vegetable planting calendar, what vegetables you can plant now in Maryland, the Maryland seasonal gardening guide, month-by-month vegetable planting schedules, and the hardiness zones of Maryland.

Maryland Vegetable Planting Calendar (MD)

What can I plant in Maryland in July?

During the hotter summer months, supplementary watering is required for most vegetable, fruit, perennial, and annual plants. Be careful to increase water rations if you don’t receive an inch of rain every week. Depending on the climate in your area and how much direct sunlight your garden beds receive, you may need to increase the number of times your drip irrigation system runs each week. Herbs are a great summer snack. It’s quite enjoyable to go out to the garden, pick some herbs, and then utilize them in a meal (pasta, salad, sandwich, etc.).

Regular harvesting is essential, as is the pinching off of any blossoms that may have appeared on your herbs while you were in the yard. Herbs lose their original taste when they bloom and produce seeds. Many autumn crops are best planted in July. Broccoli, carrots, beans, peas, radishes, beets, kale, spinach, and winter squash can all be grown from seed. Cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and onion seedlings should be transplanted.

How late can you plant tomatoes in Maryland?

Plant them after the soil has warmed and frost is no longer a threat. Direct sunlight for at least 6 hours daily, preferably 8-10 hours, is required for full sun. The top growth is vulnerable to frost damage and requires warm temperatures to flourish. The age range of transplant recipients is 65-90. Many fertilizers or organic matter in the soil are needed.

To get transplants off to a good start, use starter fertilizer. After the first harvest, you should side-dress. Depending on plant development, fruit production, and soil quality, more fertilizer may be required. Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) should not be added to the soil until a magnesium deficit has been detected by soil testing.

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How long is Maryland’s growing season?

Maryland’s final frost is 170 days before its first. Make your planting plans for tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables with the help of the planting schedules that are provided below.

Is it too late to plant potatoes in Maryland?

The optimal time to sow potatoes in Maryland is between March 1 and 5. Rows of seeds are planted at a distance of 34 to 36 inches apart. Soil pH between 5.6 and 5.8 is ideal for growing potatoes. However, a range of 5.0 to 6.2 is acceptable. Wet soils encourage disease growth and make it challenging to harvest tubers, while soils with a pH greater than 5.2 are ideal for developing scabs.

Loose soils are ideal since they are simple to till and make harvesting less of a hassle. Winter rye and wheat are common examples of cover crops utilized for their ability to suppress weed growth, slow soil erosion, and replenish depleted soil nutrients. Preparing a field for planting is first plowed and harrowed to create seedbeds.

What can you plant in March in Maryland?

Numerous annual flower plants can be established this month. Most start inside around five to six weeks before being planted outside. The second-best time to seed your lawn, make repairs, or cover bare patches is in late winter or early spring, with late August through mid-October being the finest. Currently, soil analysis is possible. Soil pH should be kept at 6.0 to 7.0 for grass to promote rapid growth and healthy turf. Don’t be tempted to disturb the soil by turning it over or digging in it if it’s damp.

The soil dries out after tilling, while wet can become cloudy and brick hard. When is the best time to till or turn your soil? To check the quality of your soil, try rolling up a little sample. You should give it a couple of good bounces in your hand. When digging, check to see whether it crumbles readily. It’s time to plant potatoes, onion seedlings, onion sets, and peas as soon as the soil can be handled gently. Planting Chinese cabbage, mustard, kale, leeks, beets, and turnips can also start.

What vegetables can I plant in June in Maryland?

In Maryland, June is planting season. Plant your tomatoes, beans, cauliflower, peppers, maize, cucumber, Brussels sprouts, squash, and onions now so they can enjoy the warm weather later. For many of these plants, transplanting in June is optimal since the increased heat speeds up their development. Tomatoes and peppers, in particular, need to be staked before they become too wild to manage.

Growing a wide range of crops means you’ve probably also produced edible flowers, even if you didn’t know it at the time. Flowers of several common plants are consumed by humans, including squash, bachelor buttons, and calendula. Some edible flowers have both attractive and tasty petals, making them a good choice if you’re thinking of cultivating them on purpose. You can also grow squash, borage, roses, sage, hibiscus, lavender, sweet and savory violets, and lavender (floral).

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What zone is Maryland?

Maryland’s uniqueness comes from the state’s remarkably varied weather. Variation is seen because of differences in elevation, proximity to the coast, and protection from cold downslope winds. The state’s climates range from humid subtropical to moderate, humid continental. A humid subtropical climate characterizes the eastern part of the state, with long, hot summers and brief, mild winters. In the north and west, in the Piedmont area, the climate is humid continental, with yearly snowfalls of over 20 inches.

The climate of western Maryland is humid continental, with large temperature variations throughout the year. Throughout the state in the summer, thunderstorms are a common occurrence. The United States uses a hardiness zone system to determine which plants will do well in a given area and when to plant them based on average annual low temperatures and the date of the first expected frost.

Only the extreme western tip of Maryland is in planting zone 5b; the remainder of the state is between zones 5b and 8a. Plants in Maryland’s growing zones will only thrive if you plant them correctly. To determine what planting zone you are in, look for a map of the area online. Plants approved for a higher planting zone are not recommended in Maryland because of the state’s severe winters.

Due to Maryland’s many climates, it’s vital to determine if a plant will survive there. Natural plants that grow well in the state include pickerelweed, moss phlox, northern barberry, geraniums, and Amsonia blue ice. Vegetables, including tomatoes, beans, peppers, beets, and spinach, grow well throughout the state.

When should you plant corn in Maryland?

The final week of March is prime planting time for sweet corn in Maryland, with further plantings possible until early July. Before planting, the soil is tested for proper nutrient and lime inputs. There is a range from 8 to 12 inches between plants in a row. It can be cultivated in a wide variety of soils, but the ones with the best results are light, sandy, and with a pH of around 6.5.

What can I plant in October in Maryland?

You can produce lettuce, radishes, and even some spinach in October. Since we often get late-season warmth, you may be able to eat summer veggies until late October or even November (provided we don’t have a harsh frost), so why bother planting anything else? However, the long autumns provide an excellent setting to maintain output during the colder months. And if you were unhappy when your cool-weather-loving broccoli, cabbage, cilantro, or other plant bloomed too soon or turned bitter in spring, October is the best time to grow them.

A steady drop in temperature from warmer beginnings is ideal for young plants and produces fragrant, frost-touched greens and root crops. To reach your destination, you need only put in a little effort. All cabbage family members (including brussels sprouts, brussels sprouts florets, cabbage, collards, kale, kohlrabi, turnips, radishes, mustard greens, arugula, bok choy, various Asian greens, etc.) as well as leafy greens, root vegetables, and root vegetables. In the same way, you can sow these seeds before the final spring frost.

You could also gather their bounty after the first fall frost. But you need to get the seeds in the ground months before that. You’ll need to get out your calculator for this part. You can find the number of days before harvest on the seed packaging or in a seed catalog. This is the time it takes from planting a seed to gathering its harvest or setting out a transplant to gathering its crop. For transplanted plants like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, or Brussels sprouts, use days from transplant, and for direct-seeded plants like lettuce, use days from sowing.

Can you grow peppers in Maryland?

Peppers, one of the simplest and most productive crops to produce, are also high in nutritional value and well-suited to the climate of Maryland. If you plant your garden in May, you should have fruit by the middle of July. The ordinary household can eat peppers with only two or three plants for the growing season. Tomatoes and peppers, especially the larger types of either, need more area per plant than most other crops. In a 100-inch row, pepper seeds should produce 75 pounds or more.

Can you grow Tomatoes in Maryland?

People adore growing this crop as if it were a vegetable, although it’s a fruit. Tomatoes’ wide range of uses, high nutrient density, resistance to disease, and hardiness in typical garden soil have made them a household name. Fruit maturity can occur at any time throughout the growing season, depending on the cultivar.

However, as a general rule of thumb, the larger the fruit, the later it will mature. Cherry tomatoes are a good option for urban gardeners since they take up so little room. Tomatoes thrive in containers ranging in size from 12 inches to three gallons. Many farmers will have their first tomato harvest by the beginning of July. At least 200 pounds of tomatoes can be harvested from a 100-foot planted row.

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What can I plant now in Maryland?

Spring gardening in Maryland

Truly, this is a peculiar-looking veggie. Despite appearances, this is only a cabbage with a bloated stem. Or at least something related to cabbages. Kohlrabi is versatile and can be enjoyed in various prepared forms, including raw, steamed, boiling, stir-fried, and roasted. You can even eat the leaves! Seedlings started inside or purchased can be harvested approximately 50 days after transplant, but seeds planted directly in the garden need a further 2–3 weeks to reach harvest size. Spring and autumn are ideal seasons for growing kohlrabi.

The cooperation of beets is higher. For harvest in June, plant in April and thin seedlings periodically. The thinning leaves may be used as a salad, and the spaces created can accommodate roots as long as three inches. Yet another simple and fast-to-grow root crop. If you’ve just grown Purple Top White Globe, that’s wonderful. Try sensitive spherical white Japanese turnips or pink-skinned or long thin purple-skinned kinds.

Due to their low price and susceptibility to pests, gardeners frequently overlook potatoes. However, they can be delightful with care and attention, particularly for families with children (subterranean exploration, how exciting!). And there are a lot of fascinating varieties that are hard to track down in supermarkets. Grow your expensive miniature fingerlings or potatoes with multicolored skins and blue or red meat.

Fall gardening in Maryland

You can grow radishes, leafy greens, and some spinach in October. Since we typically have late-season warmth, you can consume summer vegetables until late October or November (if we don’t have a hard frost). Why bother growing anything else? But the lengthy autumns provide a great environment to keep working into the winter months. Young plants thrive in the gradually cooling temperatures that follow warmer spring and summer months, and this is especially true for the aromatic greens and root crops that result from the frost.

It won’t take much work to get where you’re going. Leaves, roots, rhizomes, cruciferous vegetables including brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards, brussels sprouts florets, kale, kohlrabi, turnips, radishes, arugula, mustard greens, bok choy, Asian greens, etc. After the first autumn frost, you may harvest the seeds you planted before the last spring frost. Of course, planting the seeds requires many months of preparation in advance.

The estimated time till harvest is sometimes printed on seed packets or listed in seed books. This is the whole time required to go from sowing a seed to harvesting it, planting a transplant, or collecting its produce. Take the number of days from transplant for plants like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, or Brussels sprouts and the number of days from seeding for plants like lettuce.

When it’s chilly, insect pests are less of a concern, but when it’s warm, crops can be infested. For instance, plants in the cabbage family are favorites of harlequin beetles and other caterpillars. Floating row cover is the easiest method for controlling these pests. The supports you build up can be used for your plants’ row cover, shade cloth, and winter protection.

Summer gardening in Maryland

It’s difficult to even go into the garden at this time of year because of the heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and weeds. But the garden chores will only pile up if we put them off much longer. Insects and other diseases can harm plants already struggling to survive the heat. To ease heat stress on your plants: We need consistent, thorough watering. Mulch heavily to maintain soil moisture and temperature. Repeated pickings are necessary, particularly if the fruits are small or the plant seems stressed.

You should fertilize as required but avoid overfertilizing. Transplant your potted plants to a shady place in the afternoon. Sunburned plants can benefit from being covered with a shade cloth. Keep weeds at bay, so plants don’t compete for water. If your plants want to survive storms and hurricanes, you’ll need to ensure they have enough support. Spend more time working in spring while temperatures are mild. It’s best to get things like mulching, and erect plant supports out of the way before the weather becomes too warm.

The best time- and effort-efficient way to deal with weeds is to stay one step ahead. Mulch can protect plants against drought and a wide variety of diseases if applied early on. Try implementing a drip irrigation system that can be adjusted to give your plants the precise quantity of water they need at any time of year. This spares you the effort of standing in the hot sun with a hose or watering bucket.

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Add compost and test your soil to see what nutrients are lacking. Plants rooted in fertile soil are more likely to thrive in adverse conditions. Take note of the successful plant varieties you grew last year so you can include them in next year’s planting. You can peruse seed catalogs to find plants that can withstand the heat. Plants struggling this year can benefit from being moved to a shadier location in the garden in the afternoon.

Winter gardening in Maryland

The name “cole” is derived from “cold,” which is appropriate since these plants do best in colder climates. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli rabe, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and mustard greens. These plants not only like the occasional frost but also need it. Poor head formation, excessive flowering, and insufficient foliage development result from nighttime temperatures exceeding 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The presence of poor soil conditions does not rule out the possibility of these.

Nutrient requirements are high for cold-season crops. They won’t develop normally or at all if their needs aren’t met. Add organic matter, compost, or fertilizers to the soil before planting. Root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, horseradish, beets, rutabagas, and parsnips should be planted. The winter months are ideal for the cultivation of root crops. The plant’s sugar reserves are kept in the roots to keep growing even when the weather is cold.

Due to the lower temperatures and longer duration, the roots need more sugar throughout the winter and experience explosive development. A thick layer of mulch or another insulation material can prevent plant damage from frost if the soil freezes. The crops can be picked whenever convenient by temporarily removing the mulch and restoring it after harvesting. New plants you have staked should have enough wiggle area, so the bark is not rubbed off.

When a set of stakes has been in the ground for six to twelve months without being relocated, it is likely that they have either served their purpose or were never effective. Finally, when bringing containerized hardy plants inside for the winter, consider using “pot feet” or “pot risers” to elevate the pot’s base an inch or two above the deck or pavement.

This prevents excess moisture from freezing into an ice dam and causing floods to the roots by allowing the water to flow freely via the drainage holes. You can make your own from any thick material with a bunch of parts of the same height, or you can buy them already in various materials, usually in sets of three or four “feet” per pot.