Growing Apples in British Columbia: Varieties, Timing and Frost Risk
A look at which apple varieties handle British Columbia’s coastal climate, how to pair them, and when frost still threatens the crop.
Gardening in British Columbia
Everything we have worked out for British Columbia: 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 Vancouver, the last spring freeze falls around March 18 and the first fall freeze falls around November 10, 1,738 growing degree days in the year.
That is enough for early varieties, tight for anything late. 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 British Columbia: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from Environment and Climate Change Canada. 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.
Heating a Home in British Columbia: What the Winter Actually Costs
British Columbia’s coastal winters rarely feel brutal, but they’re long, damp, and they push heating systems to run for months at a modest, steady load…
British Columbia Soil: What You Are Digging Into, and How to Improve It
British Columbia’s dominant surface soil is mildly acid, loam-textured, and well drained on paper.
Pea leaf weevil in British Columbia: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Pea leaf weevil damage in British Columbia tracks soil warming each spring, not a fixed date on the calendar.
Western spotted cucumber beetle in British Columbia: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
The western spotted cucumber beetle turns up in British Columbia gardens once the soil warms past the point where its overwintering generation can move…
Gardening in British Columbia: What the Season Actually Allows
British Columbia doesn’t have one growing season. It has at least four, and they barely resemble each other.
Garden Pests in British Columbia: What Shows Up, When, and How to Stop It
British Columbia doesn’t have one pest problem. It has at least four, depending on whether you’re gardening in a rainy Vancouver backyard, a dry Okanagan…
The British Columbia Lawn Care Calendar, Month by Month
A month-by-month lawn calendar for British Columbia, built on Clemson’s species calendars and Environment Canada’s Vancouver frost normals.
Aphids in British Columbia: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Aphids show up in British Columbia as early as late March along the coast and not until mid-May in the Interior, tracking closely with when temperatures…
Spider mites in British Columbia: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Spider mites become active in British Columbia as early as April in warm interior valleys and greenhouses, but the real population explosions happen from…