Emerald ash borer in Michigan: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Emerald ash borer shows up in Michigan every year between late May and August, with adult beetles peaking in June and July.
Gardening in Michigan
Everything we have worked out for Michigan: 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 Detroit, the last spring freeze runs April 30 in the Detroit area; early to mid May across most of the Lower Peninsula and the first fall freeze runs October 6 to October 21, USDA zones 4a-6b, 3,248 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 26.1 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Michigan: 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.
Seedcorn maggot in Michigan: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Seedcorn maggot shows up in Michigan fields during cold, wet spring stretches, usually from late April through mid-May, and again in a smaller second…
Asiatic garden beetle in Michigan: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Asiatic garden beetles show up in Michigan on warm summer nights, usually from late June through September, with the heaviest activity in July and August.
Michigan Lawn Care: What to Plant and When to Feed It
This guide gives Michigan’s seeding window, fall feeding schedule and mowing heights for a cool-season lawn, based on Detroit’s climate normals.
Garlic Varieties That Suit Michigan Winters
Michigan’s fall frost date sets the garlic planting window, and its long stretch of cold below 40°F easily meets what hardneck and softneck garlic need to form cloves.
When to Plant Garlic in Michigan: Counting Back From the First Frost
Michigan garlic goes into the ground mid to late September, calculated from MSU Extension’s Detroit-area frost window of October 6 to 21.
Growing Garlic in Michigan: Planting Dates, Varieties and Winter Cold
Michigan’s cold winters satisfy garlic’s chilling requirement, and cloves go into the ground weeks before the first fall frost near Detroit, MSU Extension says.
Garden Pests in Michigan: What Shows Up, When, and How to Stop It
A season-by-season look at the insects MSU Extension flags most in Michigan gardens, how to tell their damage apart, and what actually stops them.
Tomato Pests in Michigan: Which Ones Actually Show Up Here
A season-by-season rundown of the tomato pests that actually show up in Michigan gardens, how to identify each one, and what controls them.
Tomato Varieties That Ripen in Time in Michigan
A season-by-season look at fourteen tomato varieties, from 55-day cherries to an 85-day paste tomato, matched against Michigan’s frost dates.