What to Plant in Alabama in January
Garlic and shallots can still go into workable soil, hardy greens like spinach and kale can be direct-sown under row cover in the southern half of the…
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.
What to Plant in Alabama in February
Alabama’s frost window runs from March 19 to April 3 for the last spring freeze, so February sits three to seven weeks ahead of that date across most of…
What to Plant in Alabama in December
December in Alabama means garlic and shallot cloves going into the ground, bare-root fruit trees and roses waiting for dormant planting, and hardy greens…
What to Plant in Alabama in August
August in Alabama isn’t a frost month at all, it’s a heat-and-countdown month.
What to Plant in Alabama in April
By late April, most of Alabama has cleared its last frost window, and warm-season crops can go into the ground with real confidence.
When to Plant Onions in Alabama
Alabama gardeners get one real shot at a full-size onion bulb each year, and it opens with the calendar, not the thermometer.
Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors in Alabama
Alabama’s winter rarely gets cold enough, for long enough, to chill spring bulbs the way they need in the ground.
Growing Spring Bulbs in Containers in Alabama
In Alabama, the obstacle with spring bulbs in pots isn’t a pot freezing solid through the roots.
The Best Apple Varieties for Alabama
Alabama’s mild winters rarely kill an apple tree, but the wrong chill class or bloom timing can still cost you the crop.
Growing Parsnips in Alabama: Will They Sweeten?
Parsnips will grow across most of Alabama, but whether they turn sweet depends on how many hard, frosty nights the ground actually sees.