What Eats Potato in Kentucky, and When
University of Kentucky Extension Entomology documents ten landscape and garden pests statewide, but only three are generalist feeders broad enough to…
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.
What Eats Parsnip in Kentucky, and When
University of Kentucky Extension Entomology documents ten pests for the state, but only two of them, Japanese beetle and brown marmorated stink bug, are…
When to Overseed a Lawn in Kentucky
The short answer: aim to overseed a cool-season lawn in Kentucky between early September and early October, counting backward from the state’s first fall…
First and Last Frost Dates in Kentucky
Kentucky’s frost-free window runs roughly from March 24 to April 4 in spring, closing again between November 2 and November 12 in fall, based on the…
When to Pick Tomatoes in Kentucky, and Ripening the Rest
The short answer: get your tomatoes off the vine before the first fall frost lands, and for most of Kentucky that means treating early November as your…
When to Harvest Garlic in Kentucky, and How to Cure It
Garlic planted the previous autumn is ready to lift once the lower third to half of its leaves have turned brown and dried, typically in late June to…
When to Pick Apples in Kentucky, and How Long They Keep
In the Louisville area, early-season apples come off the tree by late summer, mid-season varieties come down in September, and late-season keepers hang…
Does Insulation Keep a Home in Kentucky Cool?
Yes, insulation makes a real difference against Kentucky summer heat, and it matters for a solid chunk of the year.
Does a Wall in Kentucky Need a Vapor Barrier?
Kentucky sits entirely inside IECC climate zone 4A, and that single fact settles the question: the 2021 International Residential Code’s exception for…
Heating With Pellets in Kentucky: What a Winter Takes
Kentucky sits in that in-between zone where a pellet stove earns its keep without needing to carry the whole house.