What to Plant in Delaware in December
December in Delaware falls well past the first fall frost window recorded for the region (October 26 to November 7), so the open garden is mostly closed…
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.
What to Plant in Delaware in August
August in Delaware means direct-sowing fast fall crops like bush beans, beets, carrots and turnips, transplanting broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower…
What to Plant in Delaware in April
April in Delaware splits into two halves. Before the state’s last frost window clears, cold-hardy crops like peas, spinach, and onion sets go into open…
Growing Peppers in Delaware: Fruit Set, Heat and Timing
Delaware’s growing season brings two separate risks to pepper fruit set: heat that shuts pollen down and cool nights that do the same from the other…
Pepper Varieties That Ripen in a Delaware Season
Delaware’s growing season runs warm enough for most pepper varieties to reach full ripeness, provided the seed goes in early and the plant avoids the two…
When Does the Heating Season Start in Delaware?
Heating season in Delaware opens in October, when the statewide reference station’s average temperature first drops below the 65°F mark used to count…
Watering Through a Dry Spell in Delaware
Delaware’s driest summer month, August, still delivers 3.98 inches of rain on average.
Watering Pots and Containers in Delaware
Delaware gardeners get more help from the sky than most of the country, but the state’s summer heat still empties containers and pots faster than the…
Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors in Delaware
A pot of tulips left on a Delaware porch through January doesn’t follow the same rules as tulips planted in a garden bed thirty feet away.
Growing Spring Bulbs in Containers in Delaware
A container in Delaware doesn’t behave like a garden bed. Winter here is cold enough that potted soil can freeze solid, killing bulbs that would sail…