How High Can a Hedge Be in Alabama? What the Law Actually Says
Alabama has no statewide hedge height limit. There’s no section of the Alabama Code that caps how tall a hedge can grow on residential property.
Gardening in Alabama
Everything we have worked out for Alabama: 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 Huntsville, the last spring freeze runs March 19 to April 3 and the first fall freeze runs November 2 to November 16, USDA zones 7a-9a, 5,449 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 13 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Alabama: 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.
When to Overseed a Lawn in Alabama
The safe overseeding window for Alabama lawns opens once soil temperature at a two-inch depth holds at 65 to 70°F and keeps climbing, usually as spring…
When to Plant Grass Seed in Alabama
Alabama lawns run on warm-season grass, so the right sowing window is set by soil temperature and the fall freeze date, not the calendar.
First and Last Frost Dates in Alabama
Alabama’s last spring frost typically falls between March 19 and April 3, and the first fall frost arrives between November 2 and November 16, based on…
When to Pick Tomatoes in Alabama, and Ripening the Rest
Pick tomatoes the moment the skin shows color break, that first blush of pink or yellow at the blossom end, and let them finish on the counter rather…
When to Harvest Garlic in Alabama, and How to Cure It
Garlic set out in Alabama in the fall, close to that first frost window, comes out of the ground the following summer, usually once the lower leaves have…
When to Pick Apples in Alabama, and How Long They Keep
Alabama apples are ready to pick from late July into October depending on variety, and how long they keep afterward runs anywhere from two weeks to…
Protecting Hydrangeas Through a Alabama Winter
Alabama winters rarely kill a hydrangea plant outright. The real threat is timing: a mild stretch that fools the shrub into pushing new growth, followed…
Protecting Roses Through a Alabama Winter
Most rose bushes in Alabama get through winter with nothing more than a light layer of mulch, but the state’s USDA hardiness range of 7a to 9a means a…
Does Insulation Keep a Home in Alabama Cool?
Insulation does keep Alabama homes cooler, and in most of the state it works overtime.