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.

What to Plant in Maine in July

What to Plant in Maine in July

By July, Maine gardens are past the frost risk entirely, sitting weeks beyond the last spring freeze window of April 22 to May 1.

What to Plant in Maine in January

What to Plant in Maine in January

Nothing goes into open ground in Maine in January. The soil sits frozen solid from Kittery to Fort Kent, buried under snow more often than not.

What to Plant in Maine in February

What to Plant in Maine in February

Nothing goes into open Maine ground in February. Frost isn’t clearing until April 22 at the earliest, and often not until May 1, so the soil sits frozen…

What to Plant in Maine in April

What to Plant in Maine in April

In Maine, April planting means cold-hardy crops only: peas, spinach, and other cool-season greens direct-sown once the soil is workable, onion sets and…

Watering Through a Dry Spell in Maine

Watering Through a Dry Spell in Maine

Maine’s driest summer stretch, July, still delivers 3.43 inches of rain on average, and the state sees only about 3.8 days a year at or above 90°F.