Watering Pots and Containers in Maine
Maine gardeners get an answer most of the country would envy: about 11.2 inches of rain falls across June, July and August, and only 3.8 days a year hit…
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.
Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors in Maine
Forcing bulbs indoors works in Maine, but not for the reason it works in warmer states.
Growing Spring Bulbs in Containers in Maine
Container-grown bulbs in Maine face a different threat than bulbs planted in a garden bed: the pot itself freezes solid, roots and all, while the ground…
Canning at Altitude in Maine: What Your Elevation Changes
Portland sits at 62 feet, and water there boils somewhere between 208 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
When to Plant Onions in Maine
Maine onions go in the ground in early spring, not fall. At 43.65 degrees north (Portland), winters are long enough and cold enough that overwintered…
The Best Onion Varieties for Maine
Maine sits at 43.65 degrees north latitude, measured at Portland, and the state gets 15 hours and 15 minutes of daylight on the longest day of the year.
The Maine Lawn Care Calendar, Month by Month
Maine’s cool-season lawn calendar covers grass choice, fall overseeding timing near the NOAA frost window, and the mistakes that show up months later.
The Best Grass Seed for Maine Lawns
Cool-season grasses like tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescue suit Maine’s climate, with fall seeding timed to the region’s frost dates.
The Best Apple Varieties for Maine
Explains which apple varieties survive Maine’s cold winters and short frost-free season, based on NOAA climate data and each variety’s known bloom timing and hardiness.
Watering a Garden in Maine: How Much, How Often, and the Local Rules
Maine gardeners don’t fight the sky the way Southwest or Plains gardeners do.