When to Overseed a Lawn in Idaho
For most Idaho valleys, the safe overseeding window for a cool-season lawn runs from late August through mid-September, timed backward from the first…
Gardening in Idaho
Everything we have worked out for Idaho: 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 Boise, the last spring freeze runs April 23 to May 7 and the first fall freeze runs October 7 to October 21, USDA zones 3b-7b, 3,309 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 26.1 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Idaho: 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 Eats Spinach in Idaho, and When
In Idaho home gardens, only four of the pests documented by University of Idaho Extension actually target spinach: aphids, cutworms, grasshoppers, and…
What Eats Onion in Idaho, and When
Idaho’s onion pests come down to a short, specific list: onion maggot, aphids, cutworms, wireworms, and grasshoppers, according to University of Idaho…
What Eats Corn in Idaho, and When
University of Idaho Extension documents eleven garden pests statewide, but only four of them actually feed on corn: wireworms and cutworms attack it…
What Eats Pumpkin in Idaho, and When
University of Idaho Extension documents eleven vegetable pests across the state, but only a handful of those actually target pumpkin vines.
What Eats Potato in Idaho, and When
Idaho gardeners dealing with potato damage are usually looking at one of six insects that University of Idaho Extension has documented feeding on this…
What Eats Parsnip in Idaho, and When
University of Idaho Extension documents a specific handful of insects that actually go after parsnip in Idaho gardens, and only some of them, drawn from…
What Eats Carrot in Idaho, and When
University of Idaho Extension documents eleven insect pests statewide, but only five of them touch a carrot: aphids, carrot rust fly, cutworms…
What Eats Beet in Idaho, and When
Four insects account for nearly all documented beet damage in Idaho gardens: aphids, cutworms, grasshoppers, and wireworms.
What Eats Asparagus in Idaho, and When
University of Idaho Extension documents eleven insect pests for Idaho vegetable gardens, but only a handful of those actually bother asparagus.