The 5 Essentials of Winter Gardening in Maryland Zone 7a

🔍 The most important thing for a successful winter garden is to have some sort of cover to grow your plants in, like a cloche or row cover.

🔍 Exposure to the sun is crucial for winter gardening, so make sure you don't have any evergreen trees that will shadow your garden.

🔍 Retaining heat at night is important, and you can use things like old sleeping bags, blankets, water jugs, and insulation to help keep the temperature above freezing.

🔍 Watering may not be necessary during winter as snow and rain can provide enough moisture for the plants, but you should monitor the soil and water if it starts to dry out.

🔍 Be cautious of condensation inside the cover as it can promote rot, so remember to vent the cover on warm days to keep it dry.

🔍 Select plants that can tolerate limited sunlight, temperatures at or slightly below freezing, and have worked well for others in winter gardening, such as black-seeded Simpson lettuce, bok choy, kale, and radishes.

🔍 Fruits like eggplants and tomatoes may not survive the winter, so focus on growing vegetables like greens and roots that are more suitable for winter conditions.