Heating With Pellets in Delaware: What a Winter Takes
A pellet stove in Delaware is doing real work, not just providing ambiance. The reference climate station in Wilmington logs enough heating degree days…
Gardening in Delaware
Everything we have worked out for Delaware: 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 Wilmington, the last spring freeze runs April 3 to April 14 and the first fall freeze runs October 26 to November 7, USDA zones 7a-8a, 3,937 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 Delaware: 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.
Squash beetle in Delaware: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Squash bugs, often called squash beetles by home gardeners, show up in Delaware gardens from June onward, with pressure building through July and August.
Trees, Shrubs and Perennials for Delaware: What Will Not Survive
Delaware’s whole growing range sits inside USDA zones 7a to 8a, and that narrow band is good news for gardeners: of the 65 trees, shrubs and perennials…
How Much Insulation Does a Home in Delaware Need?
Delaware’s answer is simpler than most states get: the whole state sits in a single insulation zone, so the numbers don’t shift as you cross a county line.
When Can You Turn the Heat Off in Delaware?
Delaware doesn’t hand you a long stretch of do-nothing weather. The furnace can go quiet once outdoor averages climb back above 65°F, typically in June…
Will Sweet Corn Ripen in Delaware?
Yes, sweet corn ripens reliably in Delaware, but the answer hinges on planting date, not frost date.
When to Sow Sweet Corn in Delaware
Sweet corn seed goes into Delaware soil once night lows hold reliably and the ground itself has warmed past 60°F, a threshold that typically arrives well…
When to Sow Autumn Spinach in Delaware
In Delaware, autumn spinach goes into the ground from roughly mid-August through early September, timed backward from a harvest before the first fall…
Will Delaware Soil Hold an Asparagus Bed for Fifteen Years?
Yes, mostly. Asparagus asks for exactly one thing from its soil, good drainage, and Delaware’s official state soil, the Greenwich series, is described by…
When to Plant Asparagus Crowns in Delaware
Plant asparagus crowns in Delaware in early spring, in the weeks around the region’s average last-frost window of April 3 to April 14.