Growing Sweet Corn in Delaware: Will It Ripen?
Delaware’s growing season gives sweet corn plenty of room to work with. Soil warms into the 60s well after the last frost clears, and the stretch that…
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.
Growing Asparagus in Delaware: Fifteen Years in One Spot
A Delaware asparagus bed outlives the fence you might build around it. Plant crowns this spring and you’re still cutting spears from that same patch of…
Will Spinach Bolt Early in Delaware?
Spinach will bolt early in Delaware, and the trigger is day length as much as heat.
When to Sow Pumpkins in Delaware
Delaware gardeners sow pumpkin seeds once the soil holds at 65°F, which usually lands somewhere between mid-May and mid-June depending on the spring and…
Will Pumpkins Ripen Before Frost in Delaware?
Yes, but the margin is tight. Delaware gardeners get a last spring frost between April 3 and April 14, and a first fall frost between October 26 and…
When to Sow Parsnips in Delaware
Sow parsnips in Delaware from mid-to-late March, about two to three weeks before the last spring frost near Wilmington (April 3-14).
Will Parsnips Sweeten in Delaware?
Yes, if you leave the roots in the ground long enough. Wilmington’s climate data puts the coldest month’s average nightly low at 25.6°F, cold enough for…
Growing Spinach in Delaware: When Will It Bolt?
Spinach sown in Delaware bolts fast because the calendar works against it twice.
When to Sow Carrots in Delaware: Counting Back From the Last Frost
Delaware gardeners count back from their local last-frost date and add the days carrots need to mature from seed, since carrots go straight into the…
Will Carrots Fork in Delaware Soil?
A carrot growing in ground that matches Delaware’s official state soil, the Greenwich series, has good odds of coming up straight.