When to Sow Beets in Hawaii
Beets in Hawaii go into the ground whenever the local rainfall pattern lets you keep the seedbed evenly moist for six straight weeks, because there’s no…
Gardening in Hawaii
Everything we have worked out for Hawaii: 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 Honolulu, the last spring freeze falls around no freeze occurs in inhabited areas and the first fall freeze falls around no freeze occurs in inhabited areas, USDA zones 9a-13a, 9,934 growing degree days in the year.
Heat, not frost, is what shortens the season here: above 86 °F tomato pollen goes sterile, so growers run a spring crop and an autumn one rather than a single long season. Garlic is the awkward one: only 0 weeks below 40 °F, where it needs six to split into cloves. Chill the cloves before planting, or grow a softneck type.
Elsewhere on the property in Hawaii: 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.
Beet Soil in Hawaii: What the Root Will Meet
Hawaii’s representative soil, the Hilo series, is a volcanic-ash Andisol: light, porous, and better than almost any other soil type at holding onto both…
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Hawaii
Peppers stall out in Hawaii mostly because of heat, not cold. The islands rarely see the kind of hard freeze that kills a pepper plant outright, but…
Growing Parsnips in Hawaii: Will They Sweeten?
The mean minimum temperature during Hawaii’s coldest month sits at 66.8°F, and no measurable freeze has ever been recorded in the state’s inhabited…
Growing Pumpkins in Hawaii: Will They Ripen in Time?
Pumpkins ripen fine in Hawaii, and the reason has nothing to do with frost. NOAA’s climate records show no measurable freeze at all in the state’s…
Growing Beets in Hawaii: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
Beets in Hawaii do best in soil that drains fast and never dries out completely, which is a tricky combination in a state built from volcanic ash and…
When to Plant Potatoes in Hawaii: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
Hawaii has no last-frost date to count back from. NOAA’s 1991-2020 Climate Normals for the Honolulu station (USW00022521) list every freeze percentile at…
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in Hawaii
Hawaii’s potato answer isn’t about frost, it’s about heat. There’s no freeze season here to schedule around, and the state’s coldest month still averages…
Potato Varieties That Suit Hawaii
Hawaii has no frost-based potato calendar, because inhabited elevations never freeze.
Growing Carrots in Hawaii: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
If you’re gardening in Hawaii, the answer is straightforward: your carrots will likely fork unless you build a raised bed or dig deep and mix in compost.