Striped cucumber beetle in Kentucky: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Striped cucumber beetles start showing up in Kentucky gardens and fields as soon as soil temperatures climb into the mid-60s, usually somewhere between…
Gardening in Kentucky
Everything we have worked out for Kentucky: 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 Louisville, the last spring freeze runs March 24 to April 4 and the first fall freeze runs November 2 to November 12, USDA zones 6a-7a, 4,712 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 Kentucky: 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.
Japanese beetle in Kentucky: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Japanese beetles start showing up across Kentucky in late May, with populations exploding into full-blown lawn and garden problems by mid-June.
Bagworm in Kentucky: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Bagworms show up in Kentucky landscapes in two distinct windows: newly hatched larvae start feeding in late May through mid-June, and the finished…
Squash bug in Kentucky: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Squash bugs start showing up in Kentucky gardens as soon as soil temperatures climb into the 60s, usually mid-to-late May in the central part of the…
Squash vine borer in Kentucky: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Squash vine borer moths start flying in Kentucky gardens in late June, with egg-laying activity running heaviest through mid-July and continuing into…
Garden Pests in Kentucky: What Shows Up, When, and How to Stop It
A season-by-season look at the ten insects University of Kentucky Extension flags most often, with identification, damage, and control notes.
The Kentucky Lawn Care Calendar, Month by Month
A month-by-month guide to mowing height, nitrogen timing and overseeding for cool-season and warm-season lawns across Kentucky’s transition zone climate, based on Clemson and NOAA data.
The Best Grass Seed for Kentucky Lawns
Kentucky’s climate sits between cool-season and warm-season turf zones, so the right grass depends on which season’s stress you’re willing to accept.
Kentucky Lawn Care: What to Plant and When to Feed It
Kentucky’s transition-zone climate rules out one perfect lawn grass, so seeding dates, feeding schedules, and mowing heights depend on which trade-off you choose.
Garlic Varieties That Suit Kentucky Winters
Kentucky’s cold winters vernalize garlic easily, so the real decision is timing cloves against the first fall frost near Louisville and choosing a suited cultivar.