Gardening in Maine: What the Season Actually Allows
The short answer: Maine’s growing season runs roughly five to six months, bookended by frost dates that are averages, not guarantees, and shaped by a…
Gardening in Maine
Everything we have worked out for Maine: 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 Portland, the last spring freeze runs April 22 to May 1 and the first fall freeze runs October 9 to October 21, USDA zones 3b-6a, 2,408 growing degree days in the year.
That is enough for early varieties, tight for anything late. Garlic does well: 30.4 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Maine: 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.
Colorado potato beetle in Maine: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Colorado potato beetles typically break out of Maine soil between mid-May and early June, once ground temperatures climb past roughly 50°F.
Striped cucumber beetle in Maine: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Striped cucumber beetles typically appear in Maine gardens between late May and mid-June, right around the time cucurbit seedlings push their first true…
Squash vine borer in Maine: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Squash vine borer becomes a real threat to Maine gardens starting in late June, with peak activity through July and into early August.
Lily leaf beetle in Maine: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Lily leaf beetle typically appears in Maine gardens in early to mid-May, right when true lily shoots push up two to four inches out of the soil.
Seedcorn maggot in Maine: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Seedcorn maggot shows up in Maine soil every spring, usually before most gardeners have even planted their first row of beans.
Cabbage maggot in Maine: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Cabbage maggot activity in Maine typically kicks off in early to mid-May, right around when soil temperatures climb past 50°F for a few consecutive days.
Winter moth in Maine: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Winter moth adults take flight in Maine from late November through January, crawling and mating during cold nights when most other insects are dormant.
Spotted wing drosophila in Maine: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Spotted wing drosophila typically arrives in Maine by late May or early June, once daytime temperatures hold steady above 50°F, and its numbers climb…
Emerald ash borer in Maine: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Emerald ash borer showed up in Maine in 2018, and it hasn’t left. The invasive beetle is now confirmed in scattered pockets from Aroostook County down to…