Garlic Varieties That Suit Connecticut Winters
Connecticut’s fall frost window sets the garlic planting calendar, and hardneck varieties handle the state’s winters better than most softnecks.
Gardening in Connecticut
Everything we have worked out for Connecticut: 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 Bridgeport, the last spring freeze runs April 2 to April 12 and the first fall freeze runs October 28 to November 10, USDA zones 6a-7b, 3,314 growing degree days in the year.
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 Connecticut: 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.
Growing Garlic in Connecticut: Planting Dates, Varieties and Winter Cold
Connecticut’s cold winters satisfy garlic’s chilling needs, and cloves go into the ground in early to mid October, weeks before the first fall frost.
Tomato Planting Dates in Connecticut: Counting Back From Your Frost Window
Explains how Connecticut’s NOAA frost window sets tomato transplant dates and shows the math for calculating them from any cultivar’s days to maturity.
Tomato Pests in Connecticut: Which Ones Actually Show Up Here
A season-by-season rundown of the tomato pests that actually turn up in Connecticut, how to tell them apart, and what to do about each one.
Tomato Varieties That Ripen in Time in Connecticut
This page lists tomato varieties, from 55-day cherries to 85-day pastes, that finish ripening before Connecticut’s average fall frost date.
Growing Tomatoes in Connecticut: Planting Dates, Varieties and Local Pests
Uses NOAA’s Bridgeport frost data to calculate Connecticut tomato transplant dates, then covers soil prep, varieties, companion plants and common pests.