Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Kansas
Peppers stop setting fruit in Kansas gardens for one of two reasons: the afternoons get too hot for pollen to stay viable, or a stretch of chilly nights…
Gardening in Kansas
Everything we have worked out for Kansas: 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 Wichita, the last spring freeze runs April 4 to April 18 and the first fall freeze runs October 23 to November 2, USDA zones 5b-7a, 4,576 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 Kansas: 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 Carrots in Kansas: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
Kansas’s official soil, the Harney series, is a deep silty loam that drains well and sits near neutral pH.
Growing Beets in Kansas: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
Kansas gardeners get one real shot at beets before summer heat turns the root woody: sow in place two to three weeks before the last spring frost, keep…
When to Plant Potatoes in Kansas: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
Kansas gardeners plant potatoes 14 to 21 days before their last spring frost, as soon as soil temperature hits 50°F, according to Utah State University…
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in Kansas
In Kansas, potatoes need to come out of the ground before that October 23 to November 2 frost window closes in, then cure for two to three weeks in a…
Potato Varieties That Suit Kansas
For most Kansas gardens, the safest choice is an early-season variety planted as soon as soil hits 50°F, roughly two to three weeks before the last…
When Does the Heating Season Start in Kansas?
Kansas households start feeling the pull toward the thermostat in October, as mornings turn crisp across the Wichita area and the mean temperature slips…
What to Plant in Kansas in September
September in Kansas is the pivot point between summer’s last harvest and the fall garden’s second wind.
What to Plant in Kansas in October
October in Kansas is garlic-planting month, not shutdown month. Early in the month there’s still time to tuck in cold-hardy greens under cover, and the…
What to Plant in Kansas in November
In Kansas, direct-sowing options in November are thin. The first fall frost window, Oct 23 to Nov 2 based on NOAA data, has usually already passed by the…